WO2024075792A1 - Robot - Google Patents

Robot Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2024075792A1
WO2024075792A1 PCT/JP2023/036272 JP2023036272W WO2024075792A1 WO 2024075792 A1 WO2024075792 A1 WO 2024075792A1 JP 2023036272 W JP2023036272 W JP 2023036272W WO 2024075792 A1 WO2024075792 A1 WO 2024075792A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
state
brake mechanism
wheel interlocking
cart
brake
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/JP2023/036272
Other languages
French (fr)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
祥樹 松本
Original Assignee
パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社 filed Critical パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Publication of WO2024075792A1 publication Critical patent/WO2024075792A1/en

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60T—VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL; ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES
    • B60T1/00—Arrangements of braking elements, i.e. of those parts where braking effect occurs specially for vehicles
    • B60T1/02—Arrangements of braking elements, i.e. of those parts where braking effect occurs specially for vehicles acting by retarding wheels
    • B60T1/04—Arrangements of braking elements, i.e. of those parts where braking effect occurs specially for vehicles acting by retarding wheels acting directly on tread
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61B—RAILWAY SYSTEMS; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B61B13/00—Other railway systems
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62B—HAND-PROPELLED VEHICLES, e.g. HAND CARTS OR PERAMBULATORS; SLEDGES
    • B62B5/00—Accessories or details specially adapted for hand carts
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62B—HAND-PROPELLED VEHICLES, e.g. HAND CARTS OR PERAMBULATORS; SLEDGES
    • B62B5/00—Accessories or details specially adapted for hand carts
    • B62B5/04—Braking mechanisms; Locking devices against movement
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16D—COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES
    • F16D65/00—Parts or details
    • F16D65/14—Actuating mechanisms for brakes; Means for initiating operation at a predetermined position
    • F16D65/28—Actuating mechanisms for brakes; Means for initiating operation at a predetermined position arranged apart from the brake

Definitions

  • This disclosure relates to robots.
  • a robot that includes a main body that can run and a cart that has wheels (see Patent Document 1).
  • the cart can be connected to the main body.
  • the main body and cart are connected (hereinafter referred to as the connected state), the main body can tow the cart.
  • Patent Document 1 does not disclose at least a brake for the cart unit that is linked to the connected state of the main body unit. For this reason, for example, when the main body unit and cart unit are no longer connected to each other, there is a possibility that the cart unit may move.
  • the objective of this disclosure is to provide a robot that can apply and release the brakes on the cart part in conjunction with the connection state between the main body part and the cart part.
  • a main body portion A cart portion having wheels and connectable to the main body portion, the main body has an insertion portion that is inserted into the cart when connected to the cart,
  • the cart unit has a brake mechanism that switches between a brake state in which the wheels are braked and a free state in which the wheels are not braked;
  • the brake mechanism is In the connected state, the insertion part maintains the free state, When the connection state is released and the insertion section is removed from the cart section, the state is switched from the free state to the brake state.
  • a robot can be provided that can apply the brakes to the cart unit when the main body unit and the cart unit are disconnected.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 4 is a side view of the wheel.
  • FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the brake mechanism.
  • FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the brake mechanism transitions to the brake state based on an operational input by the user.
  • FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the brake mechanism transitions to the brake state based on an operational input by the user.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 4
  • FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the brake mechanism transitions to the brake state based on an operational input by the user.
  • FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the brake mechanism transitions to a free state based on an operational input by the user.
  • FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the brake mechanism transitions to a free state based on an operational input by the user.
  • FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the brake mechanism transitions to a free state based on an operational input by the user.
  • FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the main body and the cart are connected to each other.
  • FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the main body and the cart are connected to each other.
  • FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the main body and the cart are connected to each other.
  • FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the main body and the cart are connected to each other.
  • FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cart unit and the main body unit are released from each other.
  • FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the insertion portion is removed from the brake mechanism.
  • FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the insertion portion is removed from the brake mechanism.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a robot 100 according to this embodiment.
  • Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the robot 100.
  • Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the robot 100.
  • the robot 100 comprises a main body unit 1 and a cart unit 2.
  • the robot 100 travels by itself, for example, within a hospital, and transports medicines from the pharmacy to one or more destinations at a time.
  • the robot 100 may be configured to be able to travel by remote control, for example.
  • a robot 100 that travels by itself within a hospital will be described as one form of an expected embodiment, but the present disclosure is not limited to this and can be widely applied to robots that transport goods both inside and outside a facility.
  • the main body 1 transports all the medicines loaded on the cart 2 at once and travels by itself from the pharmacy to the destination.
  • the main body 1 stops when it arrives at the destination.
  • the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 is automatically released.
  • the automatic release of the connection will be described later.
  • the nurse may also pull the cart unit 2 away from the main body unit 1 to release the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2.
  • the brakes are automatically applied to the wheels 5 of the cart unit 2. This makes it possible to prevent the cart unit 2 from moving when the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 is released.
  • the nurse distributes the medication and returns the cart unit 2 to the pharmacy.
  • the cart unit 2 may be transported to the pharmacy by the robot 100 that has been towing the cart unit 2, or by another robot 100.
  • the main unit 1, which has been released from the cart unit drives back to the pharmacy by itself.
  • the pharmacist then loads the medication onto another cart unit 2 and connects that cart unit 2 to the main unit 1.
  • the specific configuration of the robot 100 will be described below.
  • the main body 1 is a mobile body configured to be able to run.
  • the main body 1 has an insertion section 3 that is inserted into the cart section 2 when connected to the cart section 2.
  • the insertion section 3 is inserted into and removed from the cart section 2.
  • the insertion section 3 is composed of a pair of left and right block-shaped members provided at the rear of the cart section 2.
  • the insertion section 3 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped whose longitudinal direction coincides with the front-to-rear direction.
  • the insertion section 3 extends rearward from the rear of the cart section 2. Note that only the left side insertion section 3 is shown in FIG. 3. Also, the shape of the insertion section 3 is not limited to the shape shown in the figure.
  • the left insertion part 3 corresponds to the left brake mechanism 7 of the brake mechanisms 7 described below.
  • the right insertion part corresponds to the right brake mechanism (not shown) of the brake mechanisms 7.
  • the left-right direction corresponds to the width direction of the robot 100.
  • the left direction corresponds to the left side when looking at the robot 100 from the rear to the front.
  • the right direction corresponds to the right side when looking at the robot 100 from the rear to the front.
  • the main body 1 has a control unit 4.
  • the control unit 4 is composed of an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a memory unit, an IF (Interface) port, etc.
  • the control unit 4 provides overall control over the operation of the main body 1.
  • the cart unit 2 has wheels 5 , a lever unit 6 serving as an operation input unit, and a brake mechanism 7 .
  • the wheels 5 include a pair of left and right front wheels 5A and a pair of left and right rear wheels 5B.
  • Figure 4 is a side view of the front wheels 5A.
  • the front wheels 5A are configured to be switchable between a braked state in which a braking force is applied to the front wheels 5A (also referred to as the braked state of the front wheels 5A) and a free state in which no braking force is applied to the front wheels 5A (also referred to as the free state of the front wheels 5A).
  • the brake state of the front wheels 5A corresponds to the brake state of the wheels 5.
  • the free state of the front wheels 5A corresponds to the free state of the wheels 5.
  • the pair of rear wheels 5B may be wheels that are always in a free state.
  • the cart section 2 When the wheels 5 are in a free state, the cart section 2 is movable. When the wheels 5 are in a braked state, the cart section 2 is not movable.
  • the front wheel 5A has a hexagonal portion 5a on the axle.
  • the hexagonal portion 5a is an example of an operated part of the wheel.
  • the front wheel 5A switches between a free state and a braked state.
  • the hexagonal portion 5a is connected to a brake mechanism 7 (specifically, the wheel interlocking portion 8) described below.
  • the front wheel 5A enters a braked state when the hexagonal portion 5a rotates a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees) in a first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A51 in FIG. 4) from a free state.
  • a predetermined angle e.g. 30 degrees
  • the front wheel 5A rotates a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees) in the second rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A52 in FIG. 4) from the braked state, it enters a free state.
  • the torque required to operate the hexagonal portion 5a is, for example, 5.0 N ⁇ m.
  • the direction in which the components of the robot 100 rotate when braking the wheels 5 (specifically, the front wheels 5A) is referred to as the first rotation direction.
  • the direction in which the components of the robot 100 rotate when releasing the brakes on the wheels 5 is referred to as the second rotation direction.
  • the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction are set for each of the components of the robot 100.
  • the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction may be different for each of the components of the robot 100, or may be the same.
  • the lever unit 6 is a foot lever that is operated by the user with the foot.
  • the user operates the lever unit 6 with the foot to release the brakes on the wheels 5, and then pushes the cart unit 2.
  • the lever unit 6 can be switched between a brake position (the position of the lever unit 6 shown by the solid line in FIG. 5) corresponding to the braked state of the wheels 5, and a free position (the position of the lever unit 6 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5) corresponding to the free state of the wheels 5.
  • the lever portion 6 is connected at its front end to the brake mechanism 7, which will be described later. Specifically, the lever portion 6 is connected to a left brake mechanism and a right brake mechanism that constitute the brake mechanism 7. Note that FIG. 5 only shows the connection between the lever portion 6 and the left brake mechanism that constitutes the brake mechanism 7.
  • the lever portion 6 has one end (in this embodiment, the rear end) where the user inputs an operating force, and the other end (in this embodiment, the front end) which is the end opposite the one end.
  • the lever portion 6 has a first claw portion 6a and a second claw portion 6b at the left and right ends of the front end, respectively.
  • FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the brake mechanism 7.
  • the brake mechanism 7 includes a wheel interlocking portion 8, a stopper portion 9, a first biasing member 10, a second biasing member 11, a first link 12, a second link 13, a first plate 14, and a second plate 15.
  • the brake mechanism 7 can apply the brakes to the wheels 5 based on the user's input.
  • the brake mechanism 7 can also apply the brakes to the wheels 5 based on the movement of the insertion part 3 (specifically, the removal of the insertion part 3 from the brake mechanism 7), which will be described later.
  • the brake mechanism 7 switches between a brake state in which the brakes are applied to the wheels 5 (also referred to as the brake state of the brake mechanism 7), and a free state in which the brakes are not applied to the wheels 5 (also referred to as the free state of the brake mechanism 7).
  • the brake mechanism 7 is provided on each of a pair of front wheels 5A among the wheels 5.
  • the brake mechanism 7 has a left brake mechanism corresponding to the left front wheel 5A, and a right brake mechanism corresponding to the right front wheel 5A.
  • the brake mechanism 7 When the main body 1 and cart 2 are connected, the brake mechanism 7 is maintained in a free state based on the engagement with the insertion portion 3. At this time, the lever portion 6 is located in the free position.
  • the brake mechanism 7 can also be switched between a brake state and a free state based on the user's input. Specifically, the brake mechanism 7 can be switched between a brake state and a free state based on the user's foot input to the lever portion 6.
  • the brake mechanism 7 maintains its free state regardless of the user's input to the lever 6. In other words, when the main body 1 and the cart 2 are connected, the lever 6 does not switch the brake mechanism 7 between the brake state and the free state even if it receives an input from the user.
  • the wheel interlocking part 8 is connected to the wheel 5 (specifically, the hexagonal portion 5a of the wheel 5).
  • the wheel interlocking part 8 can rotate in a predetermined direction. Specifically, the wheel interlocking part 8 rotates in a first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A81 in FIG. 11) when the brake mechanism 7 transitions from the free state (see FIG. 11) to the brake state (see FIG. 8).
  • the operation of the brake mechanism 7 when it transitions from the free state to the brake state may be referred to as the braking operation of the brake mechanism 7.
  • the wheel interlocking part 8 rotates a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees) during the braking operation.
  • the wheel interlocking part 8 is constantly biased in the first rotation direction by the first biasing member 10 described below.
  • the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates in the second rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A82 in FIG. 8).
  • the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates against the biasing force of the first biasing member 10.
  • the operation of the brake mechanism 7 when it transitions from the brake state to the free state may be referred to as the brake release operation of the brake mechanism 7.
  • the wheel interlocking part 8 rotates a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees).
  • Such a wheel interlocking part 8 interlocks with the wheels 5.
  • the wheel interlocking part 8 includes an abutment part 8a that abuts against the side part 3a of the insertion part 3 when the main body part 1 and the cart part 2 are connected.
  • the wheel interlocking portion 8 has a first pointed portion 8c on a first outer edge portion 8b.
  • the first outer edge portion 8b refers to a portion of the outer edge of the wheel interlocking portion 8 that can face a second outer edge portion 9b of the stopper portion 9 described below.
  • the wheel interlocking portion 8 has a first recess 8d on the first outer edge portion 8b.
  • the first recess 8d is a portion that can engage with a first protrusion 9d of the stopper portion 9 (described later) when the brake mechanism 7 is in the braked state (see FIG. 8).
  • the rotation of the wheel interlocking part 8 is restricted by the stopper part 9.
  • the position of the wheel interlocking part 8 shown in FIG. 8 (specifically, the rotational position) is maintained.
  • the rotational position of the wheel interlocking part 8 corresponds to an example of the second position of the wheel interlocking part 8.
  • the wheel interlocking portion 8 also has a second protrusion 8e on the first outer edge 8b.
  • the second protrusion 8e is a portion that can engage with the second recess 9e of the stopper portion 9 when the brake mechanism 7 is in a free state (see FIG. 11).
  • the rotation of the wheel interlocking portion 8 is restricted by the stopper portion 9.
  • the position of the wheel interlocking portion 8 shown in FIG. 11 (specifically, the reference position) is maintained.
  • the reference position of the wheel interlocking portion 8 corresponds to an example of the first position of the wheel interlocking portion 8.
  • the stopper portion 9 can rotate in a predetermined direction. Specifically, the stopper portion 9 rotates in a first rotation direction (the direction indicated by arrow A91 in FIG. 11) during braking operation of the brake mechanism 7. The stopper portion 9 rotates a predetermined angle during braking operation of the brake mechanism 7. When rotating in the first rotation direction, the stopper portion 9 rotates against the biasing force of the second biasing member 11 described below.
  • the stopper portion 9 rotates in a second rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A92 in FIG. 8) based on the biasing force of the second biasing member 11 during the brake release operation of the brake mechanism 7.
  • the stopper portion 9 rotates a predetermined angle during the brake release operation of the brake mechanism 7.
  • the stopper portion 9 is constantly biased in the second rotation direction by the second biasing member 11 described below.
  • the stopper portion 9 When the stopper portion 9 rotates as described above, it rotates along the first outer edge portion 8b of the wheel interlocking portion 8 around the center of rotation.
  • the stopper portion 9 includes abutment portion 9a that abuts against the insertion portion 3 when the main body portion 1 and the cart portion 2 are connected.
  • the insertion part 3 is inserted into the brake mechanism 7, and the insertion part 3 abuts against the abutment part 9a.
  • the operation of the brake mechanism 7 when the main body 1 and the cart 2 are connected will be described later.
  • the stopper portion 9 has a second pointed portion 9c on the second outer edge portion 9b.
  • the second outer edge portion 9b refers to a portion of the outer edge of the stopper portion 9 that can face the first outer edge portion 8b of the wheel interlocking portion 8.
  • the first pointed portion 8c of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second pointed portion 9c of the stopper portion 9 face each other in the front-rear direction when the insertion portion 3 is inserted into the brake mechanism 7 (see FIG. 15).
  • the stopper portion 9 has a first convex portion 9d on the second outer edge portion 9b.
  • the first convex portion 9d is an example of a first engagement portion, and is a portion that can engage with the first concave portion 8d of the wheel interlocking portion 8 when the brake mechanism 7 is in the braking state.
  • the stopper portion 9 restricts the rotation of the wheel interlocking portion 8.
  • the stopper portion 9 maintains the position of the wheel interlocking portion 8 shown in FIG. 8 (specifically, the rotational position).
  • the stopper portion 9 maintains the state of the brake mechanism 7 shown in FIG. 8 (specifically, the brake state).
  • the stopper portion 9 also has a second recess 9e on the second outer edge portion 9b.
  • the second recess 9e is an example of a second engagement portion, and is a portion that can engage with the second protrusion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 when the brake mechanism 7 is in a free state (see FIG. 11).
  • the stopper portion 9 restricts the rotation of the wheel interlocking portion 8.
  • the stopper portion 9 maintains the position of the wheel interlocking portion 8 shown in FIG. 11 (specifically, the reference position).
  • the stopper portion 9 maintains the state of the brake mechanism 7 shown in FIG. 11 (specifically, the free state).
  • the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the first convex portion 9d of the stopper portion 9 engage with each other.
  • the second convex portion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second concave portion 9e of the stopper portion 9 do not engage with each other (in other words, they are separated).
  • the position of the stopper portion 9 in the state in which the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the first convex portion 9d of the stopper portion 9 are engaged with each other is referred to as the second restricted position.
  • the brake mechanism 7 when the brake mechanism 7 is in a free state (see FIG. 11), the second convex portion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second concave portion 9e of the stopper portion 9 engage with each other.
  • the brake mechanism 7 when the brake mechanism 7 is in a free state (see FIG. 11), the first concave portion 8d of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the first convex portion 9d of the stopper portion 9 do not engage with each other (in other words, they are separated from each other).
  • the position of the stopper portion 9 in the state in which the second convex portion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second concave portion 9e of the stopper portion 9 are engaged with each other is referred to as the first restricted position.
  • the stopper portion 9 switches between a state in which the brake mechanism 7 is kept free and a state in which the brake mechanism 7 is kept in a braked state based on its own rotation.
  • the stopper portion 9 is configured to be able to restrict the rotation of the wheel interlocking portion 8 based on its positional relationship with the wheel interlocking portion 8. In this way, in the case of this embodiment, a configuration that maintains the state of the brake mechanism 7 can be realized with a small number of parts. Therefore, according to this embodiment, manufacturing costs can be reduced.
  • the first biasing member 10 is, for example, a coil spring, and changes the position of the wheel interlocking part 8.
  • One end (front end) of the first biasing member 10 is connected to the wheel interlocking part 8. Meanwhile, the other end (rear end) of the first biasing member 10 is connected to, for example, a fixed part (not shown) fixed to the housing of the cart part 2.
  • the first biasing member 10 constantly biases the wheel interlocking portion 8.
  • the direction in which the first biasing member 10 biases the wheel interlocking portion 8 is the direction in which the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A81 in FIG. 11).
  • the second biasing member 11 biases the stopper portion 9 in a direction (specifically, backward) that moves the stopper portion 9 away from the wheel interlocking portion 8. In other words, the second biasing member 11 constantly biases the stopper portion 9.
  • the direction in which the second biasing member 11 biases the stopper portion 9 is the direction that rotates the stopper portion 9 in the second rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A92 in FIG. 8).
  • the first link 12 is a rod-shaped member extending in the front-rear direction. One end (front end) of the first link 12 is rotatably connected to the wheel interlocking part 8. The other end (rear end) of the first link 12 is rotatably connected to the first plate 14.
  • the second link 13 is a rod-shaped member extending in the front-rear direction. One end (front end) of the second link 13 is rotatably connected to the stopper portion 9. The other end (rear end) of the second link 13 is rotatably connected to the second plate 15.
  • the first plate 14 and the second plate 15 rotate about the same rotation center at the other end of the lever portion 6.
  • the first link 12 side of the first plate 14 engages with the first claw portion 6a.
  • the second link 13 side of the second plate 15 engages with the second claw portion 6b of the lever portion 6.
  • Figures 6 to 8 are diagrams showing the operation of the brake mechanism 7 when the brake mechanism 7 transitions from a free state to a braked state based on the user's operational input. In the following description, Figure 11 may also be referenced to explain the free state of the brake mechanism 7.
  • the state of the brake mechanism 7 shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to a state in which the connection between the main body 1 and the cart 2 is released (i.e., a non-connected state). In other words, in FIG. 6, the insertion part 3 is not inserted into the cart 2.
  • the brake mechanism 7 When the lever portion 6 is raised (i.e., when the lever portion 6 is in the free position), the brake mechanism 7 does not apply the brakes to the wheels 5 (see Figure 3), and the wheels 5 are in a free state.
  • the wheel interlocking part 8 takes the reference position, and the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking part 8 and the first convex part 9d of the stopper part 9 are separated.
  • the second convex part 8e of the wheel interlocking part 8 and the second concave part 9e of the stopper part 9 are engaged.
  • the second convex portion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second concave portion 9e of the stopper portion 9 are disengaged, allowing the wheel interlocking portion 8 to rotate.
  • the stopper portion 9 continues to rotate until the lever portion 6 is completely lowered (i.e., the lever portion 6 is in the brake position).
  • the wheel interlocking part 8 When the wheel interlocking part 8 becomes rotatable, as shown in FIG. 7, the wheel interlocking part 8 is pulled by the first biasing member 10 and rotates a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees) around the center of rotation in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A81 in FIG. 7).
  • a predetermined angle e.g., 30 degrees
  • the hexagonal portion 5a (see FIG. 4) of the wheel 5 rotates in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A51 in FIG. 4) in response to the rotation of the wheel interlocking portion 8.
  • the stopper portion 9 is in the second restricted position.
  • the wheel 5 is braked.
  • the rotation of the wheel interlocking part 8 is restricted based on the engagement between the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking part 8 and the first protrusion 9d of the stopper part 9.
  • the braked state of the wheel 5 and the brake mechanism 7 is maintained by the stopper part 9.
  • Figures 9 to 11 are diagrams showing the operation of the brake mechanism 7 when the brake mechanism 7 transitions to a free state based on the operational input of the user.
  • the state of the brake mechanism 7 shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to a state in which the connection between the main body 1 and the cart 2 is released (i.e., a non-connected state). In other words, in FIG. 9, the insertion part 3 is not inserted into the cart 2.
  • the user When releasing the brakes on the wheels 5, the user, for example, lifts the lever portion 6 with his/her foot.
  • the lever portion 6 rotates in the second rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A62 in FIG. 9).
  • the first claw portion 6a of the lever portion 6 pushes the first plate 14 backward in conjunction with this.
  • the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates in the second rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A82 in FIG. 9) against the biasing force of the first biasing member 10. Then, the engagement between the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the first protrusion 9d of the stopper portion 9 is released. As a result, the wheel interlocking portion 8 becomes rotatable.
  • the wheel interlocking portion 8 is pulled by the first link 12 and rotates a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees) in the second rotation direction. At this time, the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates against the elastic force of the first biasing member 10. As a result, the wheel interlocking portion 8 assumes the reference position shown in FIG. 10.
  • a predetermined angle e.g. 30 degrees
  • the stopper portion 9 rotates in the second rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A92 in Figures 9 and 10) based on the elastic force of the second biasing member 11.
  • the stopper portion 9 then assumes the position shown in Figure 11 (i.e., the first restricted position).
  • the second convex portion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second concave portion 9e of the stopper portion 9 engage with each other.
  • the brake mechanism 7 does not apply the brakes to the wheel 5 (i.e., the wheel 5 is in a free state).
  • the wheel interlocking portion 8 When the wheel 5 is in a free state (when the brake mechanism 7 is in a free state), the wheel interlocking portion 8 is in a reference position, and the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the first convex portion 9d of the stopper portion 9 are separated. Also, when the wheel 5 is in a free state (when the brake mechanism 7 is in a free state), the second convex portion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second concave portion 9e of the stopper portion 9 are engaged.
  • the stopper portion 9 maintains the free state of the brake mechanism 7.
  • the stopper portion 9 is in the first restricted position.
  • FIGS 12 to 15 are diagrams showing the operation of the brake mechanism 7 when the insertion section 3 is inserted into the brake mechanism 7. Note that when the main body 1 and the cart 2 are connected, the brake mechanism 7 is in a free state.
  • the pharmacist After loading the medicines onto the cart unit 2 in the pharmacy, the pharmacist connects the cart unit 2 to the main body unit 1. At this time, the insertion unit 3 moves in a predetermined direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A31 in FIG. 12) and is inserted into the brake mechanism 7.
  • the stopper portion 9 When the insertion portion 3 is inserted into the brake mechanism 7, the stopper portion 9 is pushed by the insertion portion 3 as shown in FIG. 14 and rotates slightly in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A91 in FIG. 14).
  • the insertion portion 3 when the insertion portion 3 is inserted into the brake mechanism 7, the insertion portion 3 comes into contact with the abutment portion 9a of the stopper portion 9. The insertion portion 3 then pushes the abutment portion 9a of the stopper portion 9 backward. As a result, the stopper portion 9 rotates against the elastic force of the second biasing member 11.
  • the stopper portion 9 rotates, the engagement between the second recess 9e of the stopper portion 9 and the second protrusion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 is released. Then, the stopper portion 9 rotates a predetermined angle in the first rotation direction along the first outer edge portion 8b of the wheel interlocking portion 8.
  • This predetermined angle is an example of a second predetermined angle, and is an angle at which the wheel 5 is not braked. In other words, the second predetermined angle is an angle at which the brake mechanism 7 is maintained in a free state.
  • the stopper portion 9 pushes the second link 13 slightly backward.
  • the lever portion 6 rotates slightly in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A61 in FIG. 6) according to the amount of rotation of the stopper portion 9.
  • the wheel interlocking portion 8 becomes rotatable. In this state, the brake mechanism 7 is maintained in a free state.
  • the wheel interlocking portion 8 When the engagement between the second recess 9e of the stopper portion 9 and the second protrusion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 is released, the wheel interlocking portion 8 becomes rotatable as shown in FIG. 14. Then, the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A81 in FIG. 14) based on the biasing force of the first biasing member 10.
  • the rotation angle of the wheel interlocking portion 8 at this time corresponds to an example of a first predetermined angle.
  • the first predetermined angle is an angle at which the brake mechanism 7 is maintained in a free state. In this state, the wheel interlocking portion 8 is restricted from rotating in the first rotation direction based on the abutment between the abutment portion 8a of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the side portion 3a of the insertion portion 3.
  • the wheel interlocking portion 8 is restricted from rotating by the insertion portion 3.
  • the free state of the brake mechanism 7 is maintained.
  • the brake mechanism 7 maintains its free state regardless of the user's input to the lever portion 6.
  • the lever portion 6 does not accept input from the user.
  • the wheel interlocking portion 8 is restricted from rotating in a first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A81 in FIG. 15) based on the engagement (contact) between the contact portion 8a of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the insertion portion 3.
  • the brake mechanism 7 is maintained in a free state with the abutment portion 8a of the wheel interlocking portion 8 abutting against the side portion 3a of the insertion portion 3.
  • the first pointed portion 8c of the wheel interlocking portion 8 faces the second pointed portion 9c of the stopper portion 9.
  • the main body portion 1 and the cart portion 2 are in a connected state.
  • FIGS 17 and 18 are diagrams showing the operation of the brake mechanism 7 when the insertion section 3 is removed from the brake mechanism. As shown in Figure 16, when the connection between the main body 1 and the cart 2 is released, the insertion section 3 is removed from the brake mechanism 7.
  • connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 may be released automatically or manually. A method for automatically releasing the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 will be described below.
  • the robot 100 releases the locking mechanism under the control of the control unit 4 at any time (for example, when it arrives at the destination). Then, in response to the release of the locking mechanism, the stopper unit 9 pushes the insertion unit 3 in the removal direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A32 in FIG. 17) based on the biasing force of the second biasing member 11.
  • the insertion unit 3 is removed from the cart unit 2 (brake mechanism 7), and the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 is automatically released. In other words, the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 is automatically released.
  • the removal of the insertion unit 3 may be achieved by manually releasing the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2. In other words, the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 may be manually released.
  • the wheel interlocking part 8 rotates in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A81 in FIG. 16) based on the biasing force of the first biasing member 10.
  • the first pointed portion 8c of the wheel interlocking part 8 moves downward below the second pointed portion 9c of the stopper portion 9, and the second protruding portion 8e of the wheel interlocking part 8 and the second pointed portion 9c of the stopper portion 9 come into contact in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 18).
  • the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A81 in FIG. 17) by a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees) based on the biasing force of the first biasing member 10. Then, the brake mechanism 7 enters the brake state (see FIG. 18). As a result, the wheel 5 is braked.
  • a predetermined angle e.g. 30 degrees
  • the stopper portion 9 rotates in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A91 in FIG. 17)
  • the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking portion 8 engages with the first convex portion 9d of the stopper portion 9 (see FIG. 18).
  • the wheel interlocking portion 8 is placed in a state in which it cannot rotate based on the engagement between the first recess 8d and the first convex portion 9d.
  • the brake mechanism 7 is placed in a brake state.
  • the brake state of the brake mechanism 7 is maintained based on the engagement between the first recess 8d and the first protrusion 9d (in other words, by the stopper portion 9).
  • the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates in the first rotation direction from the state shown in FIG. 17, the lever portion 6 moves down as the first plate 14 rotates.
  • the brake mechanism 7 automatically transitions from a free state to a braked state. This makes it possible to provide a robot 100 that can apply the brakes to the cart 2 when the connection between the main body 1 and the cart 2 is released.
  • Other functions and effects of the robot 100 according to this embodiment are as described above.
  • This disclosure is useful for robots that can apply and release brakes on a cart section.

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Abstract

A robot comprising a main body and a cart portion which has a wheel and can be connected to the main body, wherein: the main body has an insertion portion which is inserted into the cart portion when the main body and the cart portion are in a connected state; the cart portion has a brake mechanism which switches between a braking state in which a brake is applied to the wheel and a free state in which the brake is not applied to the wheel; and the brake mechanism is maintained in the free state by means of the insertion portion in the connected state, and when the connected state ends and the insertion portion is removed from the cart portion, switches from the free state to the braking state.

Description

ロボットrobot
　本開示は、ロボットに関する。 This disclosure relates to robots.
　従来、走行可能な本体部と、車輪を有するカート部と、を備えたロボットが知られている（特許文献１参照）。カート部は、本体部に連結可能である。本体部とカート部とが連結された状態（以下、連結状態と称する。）において、本体部は、カート部を牽引可能である。 　Conventionally, a robot is known that includes a main body that can run and a cart that has wheels (see Patent Document 1). The cart can be connected to the main body. When the main body and cart are connected (hereinafter referred to as the connected state), the main body can tow the cart.
特開２０１９－１４８８７１号公報JP 2019-148871 A
　ところで、上述の特許文献１には、少なくとも本体部との連結状態と連動したカート部のブレーキに関する開示がない。このため、例えば本体部とカート部との連結状態が解除された状態において、カート部が移動してしまう可能性がある。 However, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 does not disclose at least a brake for the cart unit that is linked to the connected state of the main body unit. For this reason, for example, when the main body unit and cart unit are no longer connected to each other, there is a possibility that the cart unit may move.
　本開示の目的は、本体部とカート部との連結状態と連動してカート部にブレーキをかけたり外したりできることができるロボットを提供することである。 The objective of this disclosure is to provide a robot that can apply and release the brakes on the cart part in conjunction with the connection state between the main body part and the cart part.
　本開示に係るロボットの一態様は、
　本体部と、
　車輪を有し、本体部に連結可能なカート部と、を備え、
　本体部は、カート部との連結状態においてカート部に挿入される挿入部を有し、
　カート部は、車輪にブレーキをかけるブレーキ状態と車輪にブレーキをかけないフリー状態とが切り換わるブレーキ機構を有し、
　ブレーキ機構は、
　　連結状態では、挿入部によりフリー状態が維持され、
　　連結状態が解除され、挿入部がカート部から抜去されると、フリー状態からブレーキ状態に切り換わる。 One aspect of the robot according to the present disclosure is
A main body portion,
A cart portion having wheels and connectable to the main body portion,
the main body has an insertion portion that is inserted into the cart when connected to the cart,
The cart unit has a brake mechanism that switches between a brake state in which the wheels are braked and a free state in which the wheels are not braked;
The brake mechanism is
In the connected state, the insertion part maintains the free state,
When the connection state is released and the insertion section is removed from the cart section, the state is switched from the free state to the brake state.
　本開示によれば、本体部とカート部との連結が解除された状態において、カート部にブレーキをかけることができるロボットを提供できる。 According to the present disclosure, a robot can be provided that can apply the brakes to the cart unit when the main body unit and the cart unit are disconnected.
図１は、本開示の実施形態に係るロボットの斜視図である。FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 図２は、本開示の実施形態に係るロボットの斜視図である。FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 図３は、本開示の実施形態に係るロボットの構成を示す模式図である。FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 図４は、車輪の側面図である。FIG. 4 is a side view of the wheel. 図５は、ブレーキ機構の構成を示す図である。FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the brake mechanism. 図６は、使用者の操作入力に基づいてブレーキ機構がブレーキ状態に移行する際の、ブレーキ機構の動作を示す図である。FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the brake mechanism transitions to the brake state based on an operational input by the user. 図７は、使用者の操作入力に基づいてブレーキ機構がブレーキ状態に移行する際の、ブレーキ機構の動作を示す図である。FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the brake mechanism transitions to the brake state based on an operational input by the user. 図８は、使用者の操作入力に基づいてブレーキ機構がブレーキ状態に移行する際の、ブレーキ機構の動作を示す図である。FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the brake mechanism transitions to the brake state based on an operational input by the user. 図９は、使用者の操作入力に基づいてブレーキ機構がフリー状態に移行する際の、ブレーキ機構の動作を示す図である。FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the brake mechanism transitions to a free state based on an operational input by the user. 図１０は、使用者の操作入力に基づいてブレーキ機構がフリー状態に移行する際の、ブレーキ機構の動作を示す図である。FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the brake mechanism transitions to a free state based on an operational input by the user. 図１１は、使用者の操作入力に基づいてブレーキ機構がフリー状態に移行する際の、ブレーキ機構の動作を示す図である。FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the brake mechanism transitions to a free state based on an operational input by the user. 図１２は、本体部とカート部とが連結される際のブレーキ機構の動作を示す図である。FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the main body and the cart are connected to each other. 図１３は、本体部とカート部とが連結される際のブレーキ機構の動作を示す斜視図である。FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the main body and the cart are connected to each other. 図１４は、本体部とカート部とが連結される際のブレーキ機構の動作を示す図である。FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the main body and the cart are connected to each other. 図１５は、本体部とカート部とが連結される際のブレーキ機構の動作を示す図である。FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the main body and the cart are connected to each other. 図１６は、カート部と本体部との連結が解除される状態を示す斜視図である。FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cart unit and the main body unit are released from each other. 図１７は、ブレーキ機構から挿入部が抜去される際のブレーキ機構の動作を示す図である。FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the insertion portion is removed from the brake mechanism. 図１８は、ブレーキ機構から挿入部が抜去される際のブレーキ機構の動作を示す図である。FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the operation of the brake mechanism when the insertion portion is removed from the brake mechanism.
　以下、本開示に係る実施形態について図面を参照して詳細に説明する。 Below, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
　［実施形態］
　図１は、本実施形態に係るロボット１００の斜視図である。図２は、ロボット１００の斜視図である。図３は、ロボット１００の構成を示す図である。 [Embodiment]
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a robot 100 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the robot 100. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the robot 100.
　図１～図３に示されるように、ロボット１００は、本体部１と、カート部２と、を備える。ロボット１００は、例えば病院内を自走し、薬剤部から薬剤を一度に一カ所もしくは複数の箇所の目的地まで搬送する。尚、ロボット１００は、例えば、遠隔操作により走行可能に構成されてもよい。以降、想定される実施形態の一様態として病院内を自走するロボット１００の説明を行うが、本開示はこれに限られず、施設内外を問わず搬送を行うロボットに広く適用できるものである。 As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the robot 100 comprises a main body unit 1 and a cart unit 2. The robot 100 travels by itself, for example, within a hospital, and transports medicines from the pharmacy to one or more destinations at a time. The robot 100 may be configured to be able to travel by remote control, for example. Hereinafter, a robot 100 that travels by itself within a hospital will be described as one form of an expected embodiment, but the present disclosure is not limited to this and can be widely applied to robots that transport goods both inside and outside a facility.
　＜本体部１＞
　先ず、ロボット１００の概要について説明する。本体部１は、カート部２に搭載された薬剤を一度に搬送して薬剤部から目的地まで自走する。本体部１は、目的地に着くと停止する。 <Main body 1>
First, an overview of the robot 100 will be described. The main body 1 transports all the medicines loaded on the cart 2 at once and travels by itself from the pharmacy to the destination. The main body 1 stops when it arrives at the destination.
　そして、任意に設定された目的地に到着することで、本体部１とカート部２との連結状態が自動的に解除される。連結状態の自動解除については後述する。またここで、看護師がカート部２を本体部１から引っ張って、本体部１とカート部２との連結を解除してもよい。本実施形態に係るロボット１００の場合、本体部１とカート部２との連結が解除された際、カート部２の車輪５に自動的にブレーキがかかる。このため、本体部１とカート部２との連結が解除された状態において、カート部２が移動してしまうことを抑制できる。 Then, when the robot arrives at a destination that has been arbitrarily set, the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 is automatically released. The automatic release of the connection will be described later. At this point, the nurse may also pull the cart unit 2 away from the main body unit 1 to release the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2. In the case of the robot 100 according to this embodiment, when the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 is released, the brakes are automatically applied to the wheels 5 of the cart unit 2. This makes it possible to prevent the cart unit 2 from moving when the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 is released.
　その後、看護師は、薬剤を配膳し、カート部２を薬剤部に返しに行く。もしくは、カート部２は、カート部２を牽引してきたロボット１００や他のロボット１００によって、薬剤部まで搬送されてもよい。一方、カート部との連結を解除された本体部１は、単独で薬剤部に自走して戻る。そして、薬剤師は、別のカート部２に薬剤を搭載させ、そのカート部２を本体部１に連結する。以下、ロボット１００の具体的な構成について説明する。 Then, the nurse distributes the medication and returns the cart unit 2 to the pharmacy. Alternatively, the cart unit 2 may be transported to the pharmacy by the robot 100 that has been towing the cart unit 2, or by another robot 100. Meanwhile, the main unit 1, which has been released from the cart unit, drives back to the pharmacy by itself. The pharmacist then loads the medication onto another cart unit 2 and connects that cart unit 2 to the main unit 1. The specific configuration of the robot 100 will be described below.
　本体部１は、走行可能に構成された移動体である。本体部１は、カート部２との連結状態においてカート部２に挿入される挿入部３を有する。挿入部３は、カート部２に挿抜される。挿入部３は、カート部２の後部に設けられた左右一対のブロック状部材により構成される。 The main body 1 is a mobile body configured to be able to run. The main body 1 has an insertion section 3 that is inserted into the cart section 2 when connected to the cart section 2. The insertion section 3 is inserted into and removed from the cart section 2. The insertion section 3 is composed of a pair of left and right block-shaped members provided at the rear of the cart section 2.
　具体的には、挿入部３は、長手方向が前後方向に一致する略直方体である。挿入部３は、カート部２の後部から後方に向かって延在している。尚、図３には、左側の挿入部３のみが示されている。又、挿入部３の形状は、図示の形状に限定されない。 Specifically, the insertion section 3 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped whose longitudinal direction coincides with the front-to-rear direction. The insertion section 3 extends rearward from the rear of the cart section 2. Note that only the left side insertion section 3 is shown in FIG. 3. Also, the shape of the insertion section 3 is not limited to the shape shown in the figure.
　左側の挿入部３は、後述のブレーキ機構７のうちの左側のブレーキ機構７に対応する。一方、右側の挿入部（不図示）は、ブレーキ機構７のうちの右側のブレーキ機構（不図示）に対応する。 The left insertion part 3 corresponds to the left brake mechanism 7 of the brake mechanisms 7 described below. On the other hand, the right insertion part (not shown) corresponds to the right brake mechanism (not shown) of the brake mechanisms 7.
　尚、本開示において、特に断らない限り、左右方向は、ロボット１００の幅方向に一致する。左方向は、ロボット１００の後方から前方を見た場合の左側に一致する。右方向は、ロボット１００の後方から前方を見た場合の右側に一致する。 In addition, in this disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the left-right direction corresponds to the width direction of the robot 100. The left direction corresponds to the left side when looking at the robot 100 from the rear to the front. The right direction corresponds to the right side when looking at the robot 100 from the rear to the front.
　本体部１は、制御部４を有する。制御部４は、ＭＰＵ（Micro Processing Unit）、記憶部、及びＩＦ（Interface）ポート等から構成されている。制御部４は、本体部１の動作を統括制御する。 The main body 1 has a control unit 4. The control unit 4 is composed of an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a memory unit, an IF (Interface) port, etc. The control unit 4 provides overall control over the operation of the main body 1.
　＜カート部２＞
　カート部２は、車輪５と、操作入力部としてのレバー部６と、ブレーキ機構７と、を有する。 <Cart section 2>
The cart unit 2 has wheels 5 , a lever unit 6 serving as an operation input unit, and a brake mechanism 7 .
　車輪５は、左右一対の前側車輪５Ａ、及び、左右一対の後側車輪５Ｂを有する。図４は、前側車輪５Ａの側面図である。前側車輪５Ａは、前側車輪５Ａに制動力が付与されたブレーキ状態（前側車輪５Ａのブレーキ状態とも称する。）と、前側車輪５Ａに制動力が付与されていないフリー状態（前側車輪５Ａのフリー状態とも称する。）と、を切り換え可能に構成される。 The wheels 5 include a pair of left and right front wheels 5A and a pair of left and right rear wheels 5B. Figure 4 is a side view of the front wheels 5A. The front wheels 5A are configured to be switchable between a braked state in which a braking force is applied to the front wheels 5A (also referred to as the braked state of the front wheels 5A) and a free state in which no braking force is applied to the front wheels 5A (also referred to as the free state of the front wheels 5A).
　前側車輪５Ａのブレーキ状態は、車輪５のブレーキ状態に対応する。前側車輪５Ａのフリー状態は、車輪５のフリー状態に対応する。尚、一対の後側車輪５Ｂは、常時フリー状態の車輪であってよい。 The brake state of the front wheels 5A corresponds to the brake state of the wheels 5. The free state of the front wheels 5A corresponds to the free state of the wheels 5. The pair of rear wheels 5B may be wheels that are always in a free state.
　車輪５のフリー状態では、カート部２は移動可能である。車輪５のブレーキ状態では、カート部２は移動不可能である。 When the wheels 5 are in a free state, the cart section 2 is movable. When the wheels 5 are in a braked state, the cart section 2 is not movable.
　図４に示すように、前側車輪５Ａは、車軸に六角形部分５ａを有する。六角形部分５ａは、車輪の被操作部の一例に該当する。六角形部分５ａが所定方向に回動すると、前側車輪５Ａのフリー状態とブレーキ状態とが切り換わる。六角形部分５ａは、後述のブレーキ機構７（具体的には、車輪連動部８）に接続されている。 As shown in FIG. 4, the front wheel 5A has a hexagonal portion 5a on the axle. The hexagonal portion 5a is an example of an operated part of the wheel. When the hexagonal portion 5a rotates in a predetermined direction, the front wheel 5A switches between a free state and a braked state. The hexagonal portion 5a is connected to a brake mechanism 7 (specifically, the wheel interlocking portion 8) described below.
　前側車輪５Ａは、フリー状態から六角形部分５ａが第一回転方向（図４における矢印Ａ５１が示す方向）に所定角度（例えば、３０度）回転すると、ブレーキ状態となる。 The front wheel 5A enters a braked state when the hexagonal portion 5a rotates a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees) in a first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A51 in FIG. 4) from a free state.
　また、前側車輪５Ａは、ブレーキ状態から第二回転方向（図４における矢印Ａ５２が示す方向）に所定角度（例えば、３０度）回転すると、フリー状態となる。六角形部分５ａの操作に必要なトルクは、例えば、５．０Ｎ・ｍである。 Furthermore, when the front wheel 5A rotates a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees) in the second rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A52 in FIG. 4) from the braked state, it enters a free state. The torque required to operate the hexagonal portion 5a is, for example, 5.0 N·m.
　尚、本開示において、説明の便宜上、車輪５（具体的には、前側車輪５Ａ）にブレーキをかける際に、ロボット１００の構成部材が回動する方向を第一回転方向と称する。一方、説明の便宜上、車輪５のブレーキを解除する際に、ロボット１００の構成部材が回動する方向を第二回転方向と称する。第一回転方向及び第二回転方向は、ロボット１００の構成部材それぞれに設定される。第一回転方向及び第二回転方向は、ロボット１００の構成部材毎に異なることもあるし、一致することもある。 In this disclosure, for ease of explanation, the direction in which the components of the robot 100 rotate when braking the wheels 5 (specifically, the front wheels 5A) is referred to as the first rotation direction. On the other hand, for ease of explanation, the direction in which the components of the robot 100 rotate when releasing the brakes on the wheels 5 is referred to as the second rotation direction. The first rotation direction and the second rotation direction are set for each of the components of the robot 100. The first rotation direction and the second rotation direction may be different for each of the components of the robot 100, or may be the same.
　レバー部６は、使用者が足で入力するフットレバーである。使用者は、レバー部６を足で操作して車輪５のブレーキを解除した後、カート部２を押す。レバー部６は、使用者の押し下げる入力または押し上げる入力に基づいて、車輪５のブレーキ状態に対応するブレーキ位置（図５において実線で示されるレバー部６の位置）と、車輪５のフリー状態に対応するフリー位置（図５において二点鎖線で示されるレバー部６の位置）とを切り換えられる。 The lever unit 6 is a foot lever that is operated by the user with the foot. The user operates the lever unit 6 with the foot to release the brakes on the wheels 5, and then pushes the cart unit 2. Based on the user's pushing down or pushing up input, the lever unit 6 can be switched between a brake position (the position of the lever unit 6 shown by the solid line in FIG. 5) corresponding to the braked state of the wheels 5, and a free position (the position of the lever unit 6 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5) corresponding to the free state of the wheels 5.
　レバー部６は、図５に示すように、前端部において後述のブレーキ機構７に接続されている。具体的には、レバー部６は、ブレーキ機構７を構成する左側のブレーキ機構及び右側のブレーキ機構に接続されている。尚、図５には、レバー部６と、ブレーキ機構７を構成する左側のブレーキ機構との接続態様のみが示されている。 As shown in FIG. 5, the lever portion 6 is connected at its front end to the brake mechanism 7, which will be described later. Specifically, the lever portion 6 is connected to a left brake mechanism and a right brake mechanism that constitute the brake mechanism 7. Note that FIG. 5 only shows the connection between the lever portion 6 and the left brake mechanism that constitutes the brake mechanism 7.
　レバー部６は、使用者が操作力を入力する一端部（本実施形態の場合、後端部）、及び、一端部と反対側の端部である他端部（本実施形態の場合、前端部）を有する。レバー部６は、前端部における左端部及び右端部のそれぞれに、第一爪部６ａ及び第二爪部６ｂを有する。 The lever portion 6 has one end (in this embodiment, the rear end) where the user inputs an operating force, and the other end (in this embodiment, the front end) which is the end opposite the one end. The lever portion 6 has a first claw portion 6a and a second claw portion 6b at the left and right ends of the front end, respectively.
　図５は、ブレーキ機構７の構成を示す図である。ブレーキ機構７は、車輪連動部８と、ストッパ部９と、第一付勢部材１０と、第二付勢部材１１と、第一リンク１２と、第二リンク１３と、第一プレート１４と、第二プレート１５と、を含む。 FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the brake mechanism 7. The brake mechanism 7 includes a wheel interlocking portion 8, a stopper portion 9, a first biasing member 10, a second biasing member 11, a first link 12, a second link 13, a first plate 14, and a second plate 15.
　ブレーキ機構７は、使用者の入力に基づいて車輪５にブレーキをかけることができる。又、ブレーキ機構７は、後述の挿入部３の移動（具体的には、挿入部３のブレーキ機構７からの抜去）に基づいて車輪５にブレーキをかけることができる。 The brake mechanism 7 can apply the brakes to the wheels 5 based on the user's input. The brake mechanism 7 can also apply the brakes to the wheels 5 based on the movement of the insertion part 3 (specifically, the removal of the insertion part 3 from the brake mechanism 7), which will be described later.
　ブレーキ機構７は、車輪５にブレーキをかけるブレーキ状態（ブレーキ機構７のブレーキ状態とも称する。）と、車輪５にブレーキをかけないフリー状態（ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態とも称する。）と、が切り換わる。 The brake mechanism 7 switches between a brake state in which the brakes are applied to the wheels 5 (also referred to as the brake state of the brake mechanism 7), and a free state in which the brakes are not applied to the wheels 5 (also referred to as the free state of the brake mechanism 7).
　本実施形態の場合、ブレーキ機構７は、車輪５のうちの一対の前側車輪５Ａのそれぞれに設けられている。つまり、ブレーキ機構７は、左側の前側車輪５Ａに対応する左側のブレーキ機構、及び、右側の前側車輪５Ａに対応する右側のブレーキ機構を有する。 In this embodiment, the brake mechanism 7 is provided on each of a pair of front wheels 5A among the wheels 5. In other words, the brake mechanism 7 has a left brake mechanism corresponding to the left front wheel 5A, and a right brake mechanism corresponding to the right front wheel 5A.
　尚、例えば、図５等には、ブレーキ機構７のうちの左側のブレーキ機構のみが示されている。右側のブレーキ機構の構成は、左側のブレーキ機構の構成とほぼ同様である。左側のブレーキ機構と右側のブレーキ機構とは、レバー部6を介すことで連動して動作する。 Incidentally, for example, in FIG. 5 and the like, only the left brake mechanism of the brake mechanism 7 is shown. The configuration of the right brake mechanism is almost the same as the configuration of the left brake mechanism. The left brake mechanism and the right brake mechanism operate in conjunction with each other via the lever portion 6.
　ブレーキ機構７は、本体部１とカート部２との連結状態では、挿入部３との係合に基づいて、フリー状態が維持される。この際、レバー部６は、フリー位置に位置している。 When the main body 1 and cart 2 are connected, the brake mechanism 7 is maintained in a free state based on the engagement with the insertion portion 3. At this time, the lever portion 6 is located in the free position.
　ブレーキ機構７は、本体部１とカート部２との連結状態が解除され、挿入部３がカート部２から抜去されると、ブレーキ機構７の姿勢が変化して、フリー状態からブレーキ状態に切り換わる。この際、ブレーキ機構７は、レバー部６を、フリー位置からブレーキ位置に移動させる。 When the connection between the main body 1 and the cart 2 is released and the insertion section 3 is removed from the cart 2, the attitude of the brake mechanism 7 changes and the brake mechanism 7 switches from the free state to the brake state. At this time, the brake mechanism 7 moves the lever section 6 from the free position to the brake position.
　また、ブレーキ機構７は、使用者の入力に基づいてブレーキ状態とフリー状態とを切り換え可能である。具体的には、ブレーキ機構７は、レバー部６に対する使用者の足での入力に基づいてブレーキ状態とフリー状態とを切り換え可能である。 The brake mechanism 7 can also be switched between a brake state and a free state based on the user's input. Specifically, the brake mechanism 7 can be switched between a brake state and a free state based on the user's foot input to the lever portion 6.
　尚、本体部１とカート部２との連結状態において、ブレーキ機構７は、レバー部６への使用者の入力にかかわらず、ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態を維持する。換言すれば、レバー部６は、本体部１とカート部２との連結状態において、使用者からの入力を受け付けたとしても、ブレーキ機構７のブレーキ状態とフリー状態とを切り替えない。 In addition, when the main body 1 and the cart 2 are connected, the brake mechanism 7 maintains its free state regardless of the user's input to the lever 6. In other words, when the main body 1 and the cart 2 are connected, the lever 6 does not switch the brake mechanism 7 between the brake state and the free state even if it receives an input from the user.
　車輪連動部８は、車輪５（具体的には、車輪５の六角形部分５ａ）に接続されている。車輪連動部８は、所定方向に回動可能である。具体的には、車輪連動部８は、ブレーキ機構７がフリー状態（図１１参照）からブレーキ状態（図８参照）に移行する際、第一回転方向（図１１における矢印Ａ８１が示す方向）に回動する。 The wheel interlocking part 8 is connected to the wheel 5 (specifically, the hexagonal portion 5a of the wheel 5). The wheel interlocking part 8 can rotate in a predetermined direction. Specifically, the wheel interlocking part 8 rotates in a first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A81 in FIG. 11) when the brake mechanism 7 transitions from the free state (see FIG. 11) to the brake state (see FIG. 8).
　以下、ブレーキ機構７がフリー状態からブレーキ状態に移行する際の動作を、ブレーキ機構７のブレーキ動作と称することもある。車輪連動部８は、ブレーキ動作において、所定角度（例えば、３０度）回動する。車輪連動部８は、後述の第一付勢部材１０により、第一回転方向に、常時付勢されている。 Hereinafter, the operation of the brake mechanism 7 when it transitions from the free state to the brake state may be referred to as the braking operation of the brake mechanism 7. The wheel interlocking part 8 rotates a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees) during the braking operation. The wheel interlocking part 8 is constantly biased in the first rotation direction by the first biasing member 10 described below.
　一方、車輪連動部８は、ブレーキ機構７がブレーキ状態（図８参照）からフリー状態（図１１参照）に移行する際、第二回転方向（図８における矢印Ａ８２が示す方向）に回動する。車輪連動部８は、第二回転方向に回動する際、第一付勢部材１０の付勢力に抗して回動する。 On the other hand, when the brake mechanism 7 transitions from the brake state (see FIG. 8) to the free state (see FIG. 11), the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates in the second rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A82 in FIG. 8). When rotating in the second rotation direction, the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates against the biasing force of the first biasing member 10.
　以下、ブレーキ機構７がブレーキ状態からフリー状態に移行する際の動作を、ブレーキ機構７のブレーキ解除動作と称することもある。車輪連動部８は、ブレーキ解除動作において、所定角度（例えば、３０度）回動する。 Hereinafter, the operation of the brake mechanism 7 when it transitions from the brake state to the free state may be referred to as the brake release operation of the brake mechanism 7. During the brake release operation, the wheel interlocking part 8 rotates a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees).
　このような車輪連動部８は、車輪５と連動する。車輪連動部８は、本体部１とカート部２との連結状態において、挿入部３の側部３ａに当接する当接部８ａを含む。 Such a wheel interlocking part 8 interlocks with the wheels 5. The wheel interlocking part 8 includes an abutment part 8a that abuts against the side part 3a of the insertion part 3 when the main body part 1 and the cart part 2 are connected.
　車輪連動部８は、第一外縁部８ｂに第一尖り部８ｃを有する。尚、第一外縁部８ｂとは、車輪連動部８の外縁部において、後述のストッパ部９の第二外縁部９ｂと対向し得る部分を意味する。 The wheel interlocking portion 8 has a first pointed portion 8c on a first outer edge portion 8b. The first outer edge portion 8b refers to a portion of the outer edge of the wheel interlocking portion 8 that can face a second outer edge portion 9b of the stopper portion 9 described below.
　車輪連動部８は、第一外縁部８ｂに第一凹部８ｄを有する。第一凹部８ｄは、ブレーキ機構７のブレーキ状態において、後述のストッパ部９の第一凸部９ｄと係合可能な部分である（図８参照）。 The wheel interlocking portion 8 has a first recess 8d on the first outer edge portion 8b. The first recess 8d is a portion that can engage with a first protrusion 9d of the stopper portion 9 (described later) when the brake mechanism 7 is in the braked state (see FIG. 8).
　尚、第一凹部８ｄと第一凸部９ｄとが係合した状態において、車輪連動部８は、ストッパ部９により回動を規制される。つまり、第一凹部８ｄと第一凸部９ｄとが係合した状態において、図８に示す車輪連動部８の姿勢（具体的には、回動姿勢）が維持される。車輪連動部８の回動姿勢は、車輪連動部８の第二姿勢の一例に該当する。 When the first recess 8d and the first protrusion 9d are engaged, the rotation of the wheel interlocking part 8 is restricted by the stopper part 9. In other words, when the first recess 8d and the first protrusion 9d are engaged, the position of the wheel interlocking part 8 shown in FIG. 8 (specifically, the rotational position) is maintained. The rotational position of the wheel interlocking part 8 corresponds to an example of the second position of the wheel interlocking part 8.
　又、車輪連動部８は、第一外縁部８ｂに第二凸部８ｅを有する。第二凸部８ｅは、ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態において、ストッパ部９の第二凹部９ｅと係合可能な部分である（図１１参照）。 The wheel interlocking portion 8 also has a second protrusion 8e on the first outer edge 8b. The second protrusion 8e is a portion that can engage with the second recess 9e of the stopper portion 9 when the brake mechanism 7 is in a free state (see FIG. 11).
　尚、第二凸部８ｅと第二凹部９ｅとが係合した状態において、車輪連動部８は、ストッパ部９により回動を規制される。つまり、第二凸部８ｅと第二凹部９ｅとが係合した状態において、図１１に示す車輪連動部８の姿勢（具体的には、基準姿勢）が維持される。車輪連動部８の基準姿勢は、車輪連動部８の第一姿勢の一例に該当する。 When the second convex portion 8e and the second concave portion 9e are engaged, the rotation of the wheel interlocking portion 8 is restricted by the stopper portion 9. In other words, when the second convex portion 8e and the second concave portion 9e are engaged, the position of the wheel interlocking portion 8 shown in FIG. 11 (specifically, the reference position) is maintained. The reference position of the wheel interlocking portion 8 corresponds to an example of the first position of the wheel interlocking portion 8.
　ストッパ部９は、所定方向に回動可能である。具体的には、ストッパ部９は、ブレーキ機構７のブレーキ動作において、第一回転方向（図１１における矢印Ａ９１が示す方向）に回動する。ストッパ部９は、ブレーキ機構７のブレーキ動作において、所定角度回動する。ストッパ部９は、第一回転方向に回動する際、後述の第二付勢部材１１の付勢力に抗して回動する。 The stopper portion 9 can rotate in a predetermined direction. Specifically, the stopper portion 9 rotates in a first rotation direction (the direction indicated by arrow A91 in FIG. 11) during braking operation of the brake mechanism 7. The stopper portion 9 rotates a predetermined angle during braking operation of the brake mechanism 7. When rotating in the first rotation direction, the stopper portion 9 rotates against the biasing force of the second biasing member 11 described below.
　一方、ストッパ部９は、ブレーキ機構７のブレーキ解除動作において、第二付勢部材１１の付勢力に基づいて、第二回転方向（図８における矢印Ａ９２が示す方向）に回動する。ストッパ部９は、ブレーキ機構７のブレーキ解除動作において、所定角度回動する。尚、ストッパ部９は、後述の第二付勢部材１１により、第二回転方向に、常時付勢されている。 On the other hand, the stopper portion 9 rotates in a second rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A92 in FIG. 8) based on the biasing force of the second biasing member 11 during the brake release operation of the brake mechanism 7. The stopper portion 9 rotates a predetermined angle during the brake release operation of the brake mechanism 7. The stopper portion 9 is constantly biased in the second rotation direction by the second biasing member 11 described below.
　ストッパ部９は、上述の回動の際、回動中心を中心に車輪連動部８の第一外縁部８ｂに沿って回動する。ストッパ部９は、本体部１とカート部２との連結状態において、挿入部３と当接する突き当て部９ａを含む。 When the stopper portion 9 rotates as described above, it rotates along the first outer edge portion 8b of the wheel interlocking portion 8 around the center of rotation. The stopper portion 9 includes abutment portion 9a that abuts against the insertion portion 3 when the main body portion 1 and the cart portion 2 are connected.
　本体部１とカート部２とを連結する際、挿入部３がブレーキ機構７に挿入されると、挿入部３が突き当て部９ａに突き当たる。尚、本体部１とカート部２とを連結する際のブレーキ機構７の動作については後述する。 When the main body 1 and the cart 2 are connected, the insertion part 3 is inserted into the brake mechanism 7, and the insertion part 3 abuts against the abutment part 9a. The operation of the brake mechanism 7 when the main body 1 and the cart 2 are connected will be described later.
　ストッパ部９は、第二外縁部９ｂに第二尖り部９ｃを有する。尚、第二外縁部９ｂは、ストッパ部９の外縁部において車輪連動部８の第一外縁部８ｂと対向し得る部分を意味する。 The stopper portion 9 has a second pointed portion 9c on the second outer edge portion 9b. The second outer edge portion 9b refers to a portion of the outer edge of the stopper portion 9 that can face the first outer edge portion 8b of the wheel interlocking portion 8.
　車輪連動部８の第一尖り部８ｃとストッパ部９の第二尖り部９ｃとは、挿入部３がブレーキ機構７に挿入された状態（図１５参照）において、前後方向に対向する。ストッパ部９は、第二外縁部９ｂに第一凸部９ｄを有する。第一凸部９ｄは、第一係合部の一例に該当し、ブレーキ機構７のブレーキ状態において、車輪連動部８の第一凹部８ｄと係合可能な部分である。 The first pointed portion 8c of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second pointed portion 9c of the stopper portion 9 face each other in the front-rear direction when the insertion portion 3 is inserted into the brake mechanism 7 (see FIG. 15). The stopper portion 9 has a first convex portion 9d on the second outer edge portion 9b. The first convex portion 9d is an example of a first engagement portion, and is a portion that can engage with the first concave portion 8d of the wheel interlocking portion 8 when the brake mechanism 7 is in the braking state.
　尚、第一凸部９ｄと第一凹部８ｄとが係合した状態において、ストッパ部９は、車輪連動部８の回動を規制される。つまり、第一凸部９ｄと第一凹部８ｄとが係合した状態において、ストッパ部９は、図８に示す車輪連動部８の姿勢（具体的には、回動姿勢）を維持する。換言すれば、第一凸部９ｄと第一凹部８ｄとが係合した状態において、ストッパ部９は、図８に示すブレーキ機構７の状態（具体的には、ブレーキ状態）を維持する。 When the first convex portion 9d and the first concave portion 8d are engaged, the stopper portion 9 restricts the rotation of the wheel interlocking portion 8. In other words, when the first convex portion 9d and the first concave portion 8d are engaged, the stopper portion 9 maintains the position of the wheel interlocking portion 8 shown in FIG. 8 (specifically, the rotational position). In other words, when the first convex portion 9d and the first concave portion 8d are engaged, the stopper portion 9 maintains the state of the brake mechanism 7 shown in FIG. 8 (specifically, the brake state).
　又、ストッパ部９は、第二外縁部９ｂに第二凹部９ｅを有する。第二凹部９ｅは、第二係合部の一例に該当し、ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態において、車輪連動部８の第二凸部８ｅと係合可能な部分である（図１１参照）。 The stopper portion 9 also has a second recess 9e on the second outer edge portion 9b. The second recess 9e is an example of a second engagement portion, and is a portion that can engage with the second protrusion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 when the brake mechanism 7 is in a free state (see FIG. 11).
　尚、第二凹部９ｅと第二凸部８ｅとが係合した状態において、ストッパ部９は、車輪連動部８の回動を規制される。つまり、第二凹部９ｅと第二凸部８ｅとが係合した状態において、ストッパ部９は、図１１に示す車輪連動部８の姿勢（具体的には、基準姿勢）を維持する。換言すれば、第二凹部９ｅと第二凸部８ｅとが係合した状態において、ストッパ部９は、図１１に示すブレーキ機構７の状態（具体的には、フリー状態）を維持する。 When the second recess 9e and the second protrusion 8e are engaged, the stopper portion 9 restricts the rotation of the wheel interlocking portion 8. In other words, when the second recess 9e and the second protrusion 8e are engaged, the stopper portion 9 maintains the position of the wheel interlocking portion 8 shown in FIG. 11 (specifically, the reference position). In other words, when the second recess 9e and the second protrusion 8e are engaged, the stopper portion 9 maintains the state of the brake mechanism 7 shown in FIG. 11 (specifically, the free state).
　ここで、ブレーキ機構７の状態に応じた、車輪連動部８とストッパ部９との係合状態をまとめる。 Here, we summarize the engagement state between the wheel interlocking part 8 and the stopper part 9 according to the state of the brake mechanism 7.
　先ず、ブレーキ機構７のブレーキ状態（図８参照）において、車輪連動部８の第一凹部８ｄとストッパ部９の第一凸部９ｄとが係合する。一方、ブレーキ機構７のブレーキ状態（図８参照）において、車輪連動部８の第二凸部８ｅとストッパ部９の第二凹部９ｅとが係合しない（換言すれば、離間する）。車輪連動部８の第一凹部８ｄとストッパ部９の第一凸部９ｄとが係合した状態におけるストッパ部９の姿勢を、第二規制姿勢と称する。 First, in the brake state of the brake mechanism 7 (see FIG. 8), the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the first convex portion 9d of the stopper portion 9 engage with each other. On the other hand, in the brake state of the brake mechanism 7 (see FIG. 8), the second convex portion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second concave portion 9e of the stopper portion 9 do not engage with each other (in other words, they are separated). The position of the stopper portion 9 in the state in which the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the first convex portion 9d of the stopper portion 9 are engaged with each other is referred to as the second restricted position.
　又、ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態（図１１参照）において、車輪連動部８の第二凸部８ｅとストッパ部９の第二凹部９ｅとが係合する。一方、ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態（図１１参照）において、車輪連動部８の第一凹部８ｄとストッパ部９の第一凸部９ｄとが係合しない（換言すれば、離間する）。車輪連動部８の第二凸部８ｅとストッパ部９の第二凹部９ｅとが係合した状態におけるストッパ部９の姿勢を、第一規制姿勢と称する。 Furthermore, when the brake mechanism 7 is in a free state (see FIG. 11), the second convex portion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second concave portion 9e of the stopper portion 9 engage with each other. On the other hand, when the brake mechanism 7 is in a free state (see FIG. 11), the first concave portion 8d of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the first convex portion 9d of the stopper portion 9 do not engage with each other (in other words, they are separated from each other). The position of the stopper portion 9 in the state in which the second convex portion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second concave portion 9e of the stopper portion 9 are engaged with each other is referred to as the first restricted position.
　以上のように、ストッパ部９は、自身の回動に基づいて、ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態を維持する状態と、ブレーキ機構７のブレーキ状態を維持する状態と、を切り換える。換言すれば、ストッパ部９は、車輪連動部８との配置関係に基づいて、車輪連動部８の回動を規制可能に構成されている。このように、本実施形態の場合、少ない部品点数で、ブレーキ機構７の状態を維持する構成を実現できる。よって、本実施形態によれば、製造コストの低減を図れる。 As described above, the stopper portion 9 switches between a state in which the brake mechanism 7 is kept free and a state in which the brake mechanism 7 is kept in a braked state based on its own rotation. In other words, the stopper portion 9 is configured to be able to restrict the rotation of the wheel interlocking portion 8 based on its positional relationship with the wheel interlocking portion 8. In this way, in the case of this embodiment, a configuration that maintains the state of the brake mechanism 7 can be realized with a small number of parts. Therefore, according to this embodiment, manufacturing costs can be reduced.
　第一付勢部材１０は、例えば、コイルばねであり、車輪連動部８の姿勢を変化させる。第一付勢部材１０の一端部（前端部）は車輪連動部８に接続されている。一方、第一付勢部材１０の他端部（後端部）は、例えば、カート部２のハウジングに固定された固定部（不図示）に接続されている。 The first biasing member 10 is, for example, a coil spring, and changes the position of the wheel interlocking part 8. One end (front end) of the first biasing member 10 is connected to the wheel interlocking part 8. Meanwhile, the other end (rear end) of the first biasing member 10 is connected to, for example, a fixed part (not shown) fixed to the housing of the cart part 2.
　第一付勢部材１０は、車輪連動部８を常時付勢している。第一付勢部材１０が車輪連動部８を付勢する方向は、車輪連動部８を第一回転方向（図１１における矢印Ａ８１が示す方向）に回動させる方向である。 The first biasing member 10 constantly biases the wheel interlocking portion 8. The direction in which the first biasing member 10 biases the wheel interlocking portion 8 is the direction in which the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A81 in FIG. 11).
　第二付勢部材１１は、ストッパ部９を車輪連動部８から離間させる方向（具体的には、後方）に付勢している。換言すれば、第二付勢部材１１は、ストッパ部９を常時付勢している。第二付勢部材１１がストッパ部９を付勢する方向は、ストッパ部９を第二回転方向（図８における矢印Ａ９２が示す方向）に回動させる方向である。 The second biasing member 11 biases the stopper portion 9 in a direction (specifically, backward) that moves the stopper portion 9 away from the wheel interlocking portion 8. In other words, the second biasing member 11 constantly biases the stopper portion 9. The direction in which the second biasing member 11 biases the stopper portion 9 is the direction that rotates the stopper portion 9 in the second rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A92 in FIG. 8).
　第一リンク１２は、前後方向に延在する棒状部材である。第一リンク１２の一端部（前端部）は、回動自在に車輪連動部８に接続されている。第一リンク１２の他端部（後端部）は、回動自在に第一プレート１４に接続されている。 The first link 12 is a rod-shaped member extending in the front-rear direction. One end (front end) of the first link 12 is rotatably connected to the wheel interlocking part 8. The other end (rear end) of the first link 12 is rotatably connected to the first plate 14.
　第二リンク１３は、前後方向に延在する棒状部材である。第二リンク１３の一端部（前端部）は、回動自在にストッパ部９に接続されている。第二リンク１３の他端部（後端部）は、回動自在に第二プレート１５に接続されている。 The second link 13 is a rod-shaped member extending in the front-rear direction. One end (front end) of the second link 13 is rotatably connected to the stopper portion 9. The other end (rear end) of the second link 13 is rotatably connected to the second plate 15.
　第一プレート１４及び第二プレート１５は、レバー部６の他端部にて同一回動中心を中心に回動する。第一プレート１４の第一リンク１２側は、第一爪部６ａと係合している。第二プレート１５の第二リンク１３側は、レバー部６の第二爪部６ｂと係合している。 The first plate 14 and the second plate 15 rotate about the same rotation center at the other end of the lever portion 6. The first link 12 side of the first plate 14 engages with the first claw portion 6a. The second link 13 side of the second plate 15 engages with the second claw portion 6b of the lever portion 6.
　＜使用者の操作入力に基づいて車輪にブレーキをかける動作＞
　以下、図６～図８を参照して、使用者の操作入力に基づいて、車輪５にブレーキをかける動作について説明する。図６～図８は、使用者の操作入力に基づいてブレーキ機構７がフリー状態からブレーキ状態に移行する際の、ブレーキ機構７の動作を示す図である。尚、以下の説明において、ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態を説明するために、図１１を参照することもある。 <Operation of braking the wheels based on user's operation input>
The operation of applying the brakes to the wheels 5 based on the user's operational input will be described below with reference to Figures 6 to 8. Figures 6 to 8 are diagrams showing the operation of the brake mechanism 7 when the brake mechanism 7 transitions from a free state to a braked state based on the user's operational input. In the following description, Figure 11 may also be referenced to explain the free state of the brake mechanism 7.
　図６に示すブレーキ機構７の状態は、本体部１とカート部２との連結が解除された状態（つまり、非連結状態）に対応する。つまり、図６において、挿入部３は、カート部２に挿入されていない。 The state of the brake mechanism 7 shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to a state in which the connection between the main body 1 and the cart 2 is released (i.e., a non-connected state). In other words, in FIG. 6, the insertion part 3 is not inserted into the cart 2.
　レバー部６が上がった状態（つまり、レバー部６がフリー位置に位置する状態）では、ブレーキ機構７が車輪５（図３参照）にブレーキをかけず、車輪５はフリー状態である。 When the lever portion 6 is raised (i.e., when the lever portion 6 is in the free position), the brake mechanism 7 does not apply the brakes to the wheels 5 (see Figure 3), and the wheels 5 are in a free state.
　図１１に示す車輪５のフリー状態（つまり、ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態）において、車輪連動部８が基準姿勢をとり、且つ、車輪連動部８の第一凹部８ｄとストッパ部９の第一凸部９ｄとが離間する。一方、車輪５のフリー状態（つまり、ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態）において、車輪連動部８の第二凸部８ｅとストッパ部９の第二凹部９ｅとは係合する。 In the free state of the wheel 5 shown in FIG. 11 (i.e., the free state of the brake mechanism 7), the wheel interlocking part 8 takes the reference position, and the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking part 8 and the first convex part 9d of the stopper part 9 are separated. On the other hand, in the free state of the wheel 5 (i.e., the free state of the brake mechanism 7), the second convex part 8e of the wheel interlocking part 8 and the second concave part 9e of the stopper part 9 are engaged.
　図１１に示すブレーキ機構７のフリー状態において、使用者がレバー部６を下げると、図６及び図７に示すように、レバー部６が第一回転方向（図６において矢印Ａ６１が示す方向）に回動する。すると、ストッパ部９が第一回動方向（図１１、図６、図７において矢印Ａ９１が示す方向）に回動する。 When the user lowers the lever portion 6 in the free state of the brake mechanism 7 shown in Figure 11, the lever portion 6 rotates in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A61 in Figure 6) as shown in Figures 6 and 7. Then, the stopper portion 9 rotates in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A91 in Figures 11, 6, and 7).
　具体的には、レバー部６が下がると、レバー部６の第二爪部６ｂが第二プレート１５を後方に押す。次に、第二プレート１５が第二リンク１３を後方に引く。そして、第二リンク１３が、ストッパ部９を後方に引く。その結果、ストッパ部９は、第二付勢部材１１の付勢力に抗して、車輪連動部８の第一外縁部８ｂに沿って第一回動方向に回動する。 Specifically, when the lever portion 6 is lowered, the second claw portion 6b of the lever portion 6 pushes the second plate 15 rearward. Next, the second plate 15 pulls the second link 13 rearward. Then, the second link 13 pulls the stopper portion 9 rearward. As a result, the stopper portion 9 rotates in the first rotation direction along the first outer edge portion 8b of the wheel interlocking portion 8 against the biasing force of the second biasing member 11.
　これにより、車輪連動部８の第二凸部８ｅとストッパ部９の第二凹部９ｅとの係合が解除されて、車輪連動部８が回動可能な状態となる。尚、ストッパ部９は、レバー部６が完全に下がった状態（つまり、レバー部６がブレーキ位置に位置する状態）になるまで、回動する。 As a result, the second convex portion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second concave portion 9e of the stopper portion 9 are disengaged, allowing the wheel interlocking portion 8 to rotate. The stopper portion 9 continues to rotate until the lever portion 6 is completely lowered (i.e., the lever portion 6 is in the brake position).
　車輪連動部８が回動可能な状態になると、図７に示すように、車輪連動部８が第一付勢部材１０に引っ張られて回動中心を中心に第一回動方向（図７における矢印Ａ８１が示す方向）に所定角度（例えば、３０度）回動する。 When the wheel interlocking part 8 becomes rotatable, as shown in FIG. 7, the wheel interlocking part 8 is pulled by the first biasing member 10 and rotates a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees) around the center of rotation in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A81 in FIG. 7).
　車輪連動部８が所定角度回動すると、図８に示すように、車輪連動部８の第一凹部８ｄとストッパ部９の第一凸部９ｄとが係合する。車輪連動部８の第一凹部８ｄとストッパ部９の第一凸部９ｄとが係合すると、車輪連動部８の回動が停止する。そして、ブレーキ機構７は、ブレーキ状態となる。 When the wheel interlocking part 8 rotates a predetermined angle, as shown in FIG. 8, the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking part 8 and the first protrusion 9d of the stopper part 9 engage with each other. When the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking part 8 and the first protrusion 9d of the stopper part 9 engage with each other, the rotation of the wheel interlocking part 8 stops. Then, the brake mechanism 7 enters the brake state.
　上述のように、車輪連動部８が基準姿勢から第一回動方向に所定角度回動すると、車輪５の六角形部分５ａ（図４参照）が、車輪連動部８の回動に応じて、第一回転方向（図４において矢印Ａ５１が示す方向）に回転する。尚、車輪連動部８の第一凹部８ｄとストッパ部９の第一凸部９ｄとが係合した状態において、ストッパ部９は、第二規制姿勢となる。 As described above, when the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates a predetermined angle in the first rotation direction from the reference position, the hexagonal portion 5a (see FIG. 4) of the wheel 5 rotates in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A51 in FIG. 4) in response to the rotation of the wheel interlocking portion 8. When the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the first protrusion 9d of the stopper portion 9 are engaged, the stopper portion 9 is in the second restricted position.
　この結果、車輪５にブレーキがかかる。車輪５のブレーキ状態（つまり、ブレーキ機構７のブレーキ状態）において、車輪連動部８の第一凹部８ｄとストッパ部９の第一凸部９ｄとの係合に基づいて、車輪連動部８の回動が規制される。つまり、ストッパ部９により、車輪５及びブレーキ機構７のブレーキ状態が維持される。 As a result, the wheel 5 is braked. When the wheel 5 is in the braked state (i.e., when the brake mechanism 7 is in the braked state), the rotation of the wheel interlocking part 8 is restricted based on the engagement between the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking part 8 and the first protrusion 9d of the stopper part 9. In other words, the braked state of the wheel 5 and the brake mechanism 7 is maintained by the stopper part 9.
　＜使用者の操作入力に基づいて車輪にブレーキを解除する動作＞
　以下、図９～図１１を参照して、使用者の操作入力に基づいて、車輪５のブレーキを解除する動作について説明する。図９～図１１は、使用者の操作入力に基づいてブレーキ機構７がフリー状態に移行する際の、ブレーキ機構７の動作を示す図である。 <Operation of releasing wheel brakes based on user's operation input>
Hereinafter, the operation of releasing the brakes on the wheels 5 based on the operational input of the user will be described with reference to Figures 9 to 11. Figures 9 to 11 are diagrams showing the operation of the brake mechanism 7 when the brake mechanism 7 transitions to a free state based on the operational input of the user.
　図９に示すブレーキ機構７の状態は、本体部１とカート部２との連結が解除された状態（つまり、非連結状態）に対応する。つまり、図９において、挿入部３は、カート部２に挿入されていない。 The state of the brake mechanism 7 shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to a state in which the connection between the main body 1 and the cart 2 is released (i.e., a non-connected state). In other words, in FIG. 9, the insertion part 3 is not inserted into the cart 2.
　車輪５のブレーキを解除する際、使用者は、例えば、レバー部６を足で上げる。レバー部６は、第二回転方向（図９において矢印Ａ６２が示す方向）に回動する。レバー部６が上がると、これに連動してレバー部６の第一爪部６ａが第一プレート１４を後方に押す。 When releasing the brakes on the wheels 5, the user, for example, lifts the lever portion 6 with his/her foot. The lever portion 6 rotates in the second rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A62 in FIG. 9). When the lever portion 6 is lifted, the first claw portion 6a of the lever portion 6 pushes the first plate 14 backward in conjunction with this.
　すると、車輪連動部８が第一付勢部材１０の付勢力に抗して第二回転方向（図９において矢印Ａ８２が示す方向）に回動する。そして、車輪連動部８の第一凹部８ｄとストッパ部９の第一凸部９ｄとの係合が解除される。この結果、車輪連動部８は、回動可能な状態となる。 Then, the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates in the second rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A82 in FIG. 9) against the biasing force of the first biasing member 10. Then, the engagement between the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the first protrusion 9d of the stopper portion 9 is released. As a result, the wheel interlocking portion 8 becomes rotatable.
　図１０に示すように、使用者がレバー部６を完全に上げると、車輪連動部８は、第一リンク１２に引かれて、第二回転方向に所定角度（例えば、３０度）回動する。この際、車輪連動部８は、第一付勢部材１０の弾性力に抗して回動する。この結果、車輪連動部８は、図１０に示す基準姿勢となる。 As shown in FIG. 10, when the user fully raises the lever portion 6, the wheel interlocking portion 8 is pulled by the first link 12 and rotates a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees) in the second rotation direction. At this time, the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates against the elastic force of the first biasing member 10. As a result, the wheel interlocking portion 8 assumes the reference position shown in FIG. 10.
　車輪連動部８が基準姿勢に近づくにつれて、ストッパ部９は、第二付勢部材１１の弾性力に基づいて第二回転方向（図９及び図１０において矢印Ａ９２が示す方向）に回動する。そして、ストッパ部９は、図１１に示す姿勢（つまり、第一規制姿勢）となる。図１１に示す状態において、車輪連動部８の第二凸部８ｅと、ストッパ部９の第二凹部９ｅとが係合する。 As the wheel interlocking portion 8 approaches the reference position, the stopper portion 9 rotates in the second rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A92 in Figures 9 and 10) based on the elastic force of the second biasing member 11. The stopper portion 9 then assumes the position shown in Figure 11 (i.e., the first restricted position). In the state shown in Figure 11, the second convex portion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second concave portion 9e of the stopper portion 9 engage with each other.
　図１１に示すレバー部６が上がった状態では、ブレーキ機構７が車輪５にブレーキをかけない状態（つまり、車輪５のフリー状態）である。 When the lever portion 6 shown in FIG. 11 is in the raised position, the brake mechanism 7 does not apply the brakes to the wheel 5 (i.e., the wheel 5 is in a free state).
　車輪５のフリー状態（ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態）では、車輪連動部８が基準姿勢をとり、且つ、車輪連動部８の第一凹部８ｄとストッパ部９の第一凸部９ｄとが離間する。また、車輪５のフリー状態（ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態）では、車輪連動部８の第二凸部８ｅとストッパ部９の第二凹部９ｅとが係合する。 When the wheel 5 is in a free state (when the brake mechanism 7 is in a free state), the wheel interlocking portion 8 is in a reference position, and the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the first convex portion 9d of the stopper portion 9 are separated. Also, when the wheel 5 is in a free state (when the brake mechanism 7 is in a free state), the second convex portion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second concave portion 9e of the stopper portion 9 are engaged.
　車輪連動部８の第二凸部８ｅとストッパ部９の第二凹部９ｅとが係合した状態において、車輪連動部８は、ストッパ部９により、回動を規制されている。つまり、ストッパ部９により、ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態が維持される。車輪連動部８の第二凸部８ｅとストッパ部９の第二凹部９ｅとが係合した状態において、ストッパ部９は、第一規制姿勢となる。 When the second convex portion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second concave portion 9e of the stopper portion 9 are engaged, the rotation of the wheel interlocking portion 8 is restricted by the stopper portion 9. In other words, the stopper portion 9 maintains the free state of the brake mechanism 7. When the second convex portion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the second concave portion 9e of the stopper portion 9 are engaged, the stopper portion 9 is in the first restricted position.
　＜本体部１とカート部２とが連結される際のブレーキ機構７の動作＞
　以下、図１２～図１５を参照して、本体部１とカート部２とが連結される際のブレーキ機構７の動作について説明する。図１２～図１５は、ブレーキ機構７に挿入部３が挿入される際のブレーキ機構７の動作を示す図である。尚、本体部１とカート部２とが連結される際、ブレーキ機構７は、フリー状態である。 <Operation of the brake mechanism 7 when the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 are connected>
12 to 15, the operation of the brake mechanism 7 when the main body 1 and the cart 2 are connected will be described below. Figures 12 to 15 are diagrams showing the operation of the brake mechanism 7 when the insertion section 3 is inserted into the brake mechanism 7. Note that when the main body 1 and the cart 2 are connected, the brake mechanism 7 is in a free state.
　薬剤師は、薬剤部においてカート部２に薬剤を搭載した後、カート部２を本体部１に連結する。この際、挿入部３が、所定方向（図１２において矢印Ａ３１が示す方向）に移動して、ブレーキ機構７に挿入される。 After loading the medicines onto the cart unit 2 in the pharmacy, the pharmacist connects the cart unit 2 to the main body unit 1. At this time, the insertion unit 3 moves in a predetermined direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A31 in FIG. 12) and is inserted into the brake mechanism 7.
　ブレーキ機構７に挿入部３が挿入されると、ストッパ部９は、図１４に示すように、挿入部３に押されて、第一回転方向（図１４において矢印Ａ９１が示す方向）に、僅かに回動する。 When the insertion portion 3 is inserted into the brake mechanism 7, the stopper portion 9 is pushed by the insertion portion 3 as shown in FIG. 14 and rotates slightly in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A91 in FIG. 14).
　具体的には、挿入部３がブレーキ機構７に挿入されると、挿入部３は、ストッパ部９の突き当て部９ａに当接する。そして、挿入部３がストッパ部９の突き当て部９ａを後方に押す。この結果、ストッパ部９は、第二付勢部材１１の弾性力に抗して回動する。 Specifically, when the insertion portion 3 is inserted into the brake mechanism 7, the insertion portion 3 comes into contact with the abutment portion 9a of the stopper portion 9. The insertion portion 3 then pushes the abutment portion 9a of the stopper portion 9 backward. As a result, the stopper portion 9 rotates against the elastic force of the second biasing member 11.
　ストッパ部９が回動すると、ストッパ部９の第二凹部９ｅと車輪連動部８の第二凸部８ｅとの係合が解除される。すると、ストッパ部９は、車輪連動部８の第一外縁部８ｂに沿って第一回転方向に所定角度だけ回動する。当該所定角度は、第二所定角度の一例に該当し、車輪５にブレーキがかからない角度である。つまり、第二所定角度は、ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態が維持される角度である。 When the stopper portion 9 rotates, the engagement between the second recess 9e of the stopper portion 9 and the second protrusion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 is released. Then, the stopper portion 9 rotates a predetermined angle in the first rotation direction along the first outer edge portion 8b of the wheel interlocking portion 8. This predetermined angle is an example of a second predetermined angle, and is an angle at which the wheel 5 is not braked. In other words, the second predetermined angle is an angle at which the brake mechanism 7 is maintained in a free state.
　そして、ストッパ部９は、第二リンク１３を僅かに後方に押す。この結果、レバー部６が第一回転方向（図６において矢印Ａ６１が示す方向）に、ストッパ部９の回動量に応じて僅かに回動する。この結果、車輪連動部８は、回動可能な状態となる。この状態で、ブレーキ機構７は、フリー状態を維持される。 Then, the stopper portion 9 pushes the second link 13 slightly backward. As a result, the lever portion 6 rotates slightly in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A61 in FIG. 6) according to the amount of rotation of the stopper portion 9. As a result, the wheel interlocking portion 8 becomes rotatable. In this state, the brake mechanism 7 is maintained in a free state.
　ストッパ部９の第二凹部９ｅと車輪連動部８の第二凸部８ｅとの係合が解除されると、車輪連動部８は、図１４に示すように、回動可能な状態となる。すると、車輪連動部８は、第一付勢部材１０の付勢力に基づいて、第一回転方向（図１４において矢印Ａ８１が示す方向）に回動する。 When the engagement between the second recess 9e of the stopper portion 9 and the second protrusion 8e of the wheel interlocking portion 8 is released, the wheel interlocking portion 8 becomes rotatable as shown in FIG. 14. Then, the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A81 in FIG. 14) based on the biasing force of the first biasing member 10.
　そして、図１５に示すように、車輪連動部８の当接部８ａが、挿入部３の側部３ａに当接する。この際の、車輪連動部８の回動角度は、第一所定角度の一例に該当する。第一所定角度は、ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態が維持される角度である。この状態で、車輪連動部８は、車輪連動部８の当接部８ａと挿入部３の側部３ａとの当接に基づいて、第一回転方向の回動を規制される。 Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the abutment portion 8a of the wheel interlocking portion 8 abuts against the side portion 3a of the insertion portion 3. The rotation angle of the wheel interlocking portion 8 at this time corresponds to an example of a first predetermined angle. The first predetermined angle is an angle at which the brake mechanism 7 is maintained in a free state. In this state, the wheel interlocking portion 8 is restricted from rotating in the first rotation direction based on the abutment between the abutment portion 8a of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the side portion 3a of the insertion portion 3.
　つまり、車輪連動部８は、挿入部３により、回動を規制される。この結果、ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態が、維持される。この状態で、ブレーキ機構７は、レバー部６への使用者の入力にかかわらず、ブレーキ機構７のフリー状態を維持する。換言すれば、レバー部６は、図１５に示す状態において、使用者からの入力を受け付けない。 In other words, the wheel interlocking portion 8 is restricted from rotating by the insertion portion 3. As a result, the free state of the brake mechanism 7 is maintained. In this state, the brake mechanism 7 maintains its free state regardless of the user's input to the lever portion 6. In other words, in the state shown in FIG. 15, the lever portion 6 does not accept input from the user.
　図１５に示すように、車輪連動部８は、車輪連動部８の当接部８ａと挿入部３との係合（当接）に基づいて、第一回転方向（図１５において矢印Ａ８１が示す方向）の回動を規制される。 As shown in FIG. 15, the wheel interlocking portion 8 is restricted from rotating in a first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A81 in FIG. 15) based on the engagement (contact) between the contact portion 8a of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the insertion portion 3.
　換言すれば、ブレーキ機構７は、車輪連動部８の当接部８ａと挿入部３の側部３ａとが当接した状態で、フリー状態に維持される。この際、車輪連動部８の第一尖り部８ｃとストッパ部９の第二尖り部９ｃとは、対向する。図１５に示す状態において、本体部１とカート部２とが連結状態となる。 In other words, the brake mechanism 7 is maintained in a free state with the abutment portion 8a of the wheel interlocking portion 8 abutting against the side portion 3a of the insertion portion 3. At this time, the first pointed portion 8c of the wheel interlocking portion 8 faces the second pointed portion 9c of the stopper portion 9. In the state shown in FIG. 15, the main body portion 1 and the cart portion 2 are in a connected state.
　＜本体部１とカート部２との連結が解除される際のブレーキ機構７の動作＞
　以下、図１６～図１８を参照して、本体部１とカート部２との連結が解除される際のブレーキ機構７の動作について説明する。図１７及び図１８は、ブレーキ機構から挿入部３が抜去される際のブレーキ機構７の動作を示す図である。図１６に示すように、本体部１とカート部２との連結が解除されると、挿入部３は、ブレーキ機構７から抜去される。 <Operation of the brake mechanism 7 when the connection between the main body 1 and the cart 2 is released>
16 to 18, the operation of the brake mechanism 7 when the connection between the main body 1 and the cart 2 is released will be described below. Figures 17 and 18 are diagrams showing the operation of the brake mechanism 7 when the insertion section 3 is removed from the brake mechanism. As shown in Figure 16, when the connection between the main body 1 and the cart 2 is released, the insertion section 3 is removed from the brake mechanism 7.
　本体部１とカート部２との連結の解除は、自動的に実施されてもよいし、手動的で実施されてもよい。以下、本体部１とカート部２との連結を自動的に解除する方法について説明する。本体部１とカート部２との連結状態において、本体部１とカート部２とは、ロック機構（不図示）により、連結状態が維持されている。 The connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 may be released automatically or manually. A method for automatically releasing the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 will be described below. When the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 are connected, the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 are maintained in a connected state by a locking mechanism (not shown).
　ロボット１００は、任意のタイミング（例えば、目的地に到着したタイミング）において、制御部４の制御下で、ロック機構によるロックを解除する。すると、ロック機構によるロックの解除に応じて、ストッパ部９が第二付勢部材１１の付勢力に基づいて、挿入部３を抜去方向（図１７において矢印Ａ３２が示す方向）に押す。 The robot 100 releases the locking mechanism under the control of the control unit 4 at any time (for example, when it arrives at the destination). Then, in response to the release of the locking mechanism, the stopper unit 9 pushes the insertion unit 3 in the removal direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A32 in FIG. 17) based on the biasing force of the second biasing member 11.
　その結果、挿入部３がカート部２（ブレーキ機構７）から抜去されて、本体部１とカート部２との連結が自動的に解除される。つまり、本体部１とカート部２との連結が自動解除される。尚、挿入部３の抜去は、本体部１とカート部２との連結の解除を、人の手で行うことにより実現されてもよい。つまり、本体部１とカート部２との連結は、手動解除されてもよい。 As a result, the insertion unit 3 is removed from the cart unit 2 (brake mechanism 7), and the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 is automatically released. In other words, the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 is automatically released. Note that the removal of the insertion unit 3 may be achieved by manually releasing the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2. In other words, the connection between the main body unit 1 and the cart unit 2 may be manually released.
　挿入部３が所定方向（図１７における矢印Ａ３２が示す方向）に移動してブレーキ機構７から抜去されると、車輪連動部８の当接部８ａと挿入部３との係合（当接）が解除されて、車輪連動部８は、回動可能な状態となる。 When the insertion portion 3 moves in a predetermined direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A32 in FIG. 17) and is removed from the brake mechanism 7, the engagement (contact) between the abutment portion 8a of the wheel interlocking portion 8 and the insertion portion 3 is released, and the wheel interlocking portion 8 becomes rotatable.
　そして、車輪連動部８は、第一付勢部材１０の付勢力に基づいて、第一回転方向（図１６において矢印Ａ８１が示す方向）に回動する。この際、車輪連動部８の第一尖り部８ｃが、ストッパ部９の第二尖り部９ｃよりも下方に移動して、車輪連動部８の第二凸部８ｅとストッパ部９の第二尖り部９ｃとが前後方向に当接する（図１８参照）。 Then, the wheel interlocking part 8 rotates in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A81 in FIG. 16) based on the biasing force of the first biasing member 10. At this time, the first pointed portion 8c of the wheel interlocking part 8 moves downward below the second pointed portion 9c of the stopper portion 9, and the second protruding portion 8e of the wheel interlocking part 8 and the second pointed portion 9c of the stopper portion 9 come into contact in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 18).
　次に、図１７に示す状態から、車輪連動部８は、第一付勢部材１０の付勢力に基づいて、第一回転方向（図１７において矢印Ａ８１が示す方向）に所定角度（例えば、３０度）回動する。そして、ブレーキ機構７は、ブレーキ状態となる（図１８参照）。この結果、車輪５にブレーキがかかる。 Next, from the state shown in FIG. 17, the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A81 in FIG. 17) by a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees) based on the biasing force of the first biasing member 10. Then, the brake mechanism 7 enters the brake state (see FIG. 18). As a result, the wheel 5 is braked.
　具体的には、図１７に示す状態から車輪連動部８が第一回転方向に回動すると、車輪連動部８により、第一リンク１２が前方に引かれる。次に、第一リンク１２が前方に引かれると、第一プレート１４及び第二プレート１５（図５参照）が回動して、第二リンク１３が後方に引かれる。 Specifically, when the wheel interlocking part 8 rotates in the first rotation direction from the state shown in FIG. 17, the first link 12 is pulled forward by the wheel interlocking part 8. Next, when the first link 12 is pulled forward, the first plate 14 and the second plate 15 (see FIG. 5) rotate, and the second link 13 is pulled backward.
　ストッパ部９が第一回転方向（図１７において矢印Ａ９１が示す方向）に回動すると、車輪連動部８の第一凹部８ｄとストッパ部９の第一凸部９ｄとが係合する（図１８参照）。そして、車輪連動部８は、第一凹部８ｄと第一凸部９ｄとの係合に基づいて、回動不可能な状態となる。この結果、ブレーキ機構７は、ブレーキ状態となる。 When the stopper portion 9 rotates in the first rotation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A91 in FIG. 17), the first recess 8d of the wheel interlocking portion 8 engages with the first convex portion 9d of the stopper portion 9 (see FIG. 18). Then, the wheel interlocking portion 8 is placed in a state in which it cannot rotate based on the engagement between the first recess 8d and the first convex portion 9d. As a result, the brake mechanism 7 is placed in a brake state.
　ブレーキ機構７のブレーキ状態は、第一凹部８ｄと第一凸部９ｄとの係合に基づいて（換言すれば、ストッパ部９により）、維持される。尚、図１７に示す状態から車輪連動部８が第一回転方向に回動すると、第一プレート１４の回動にともない、レバー部６が下がる。 The brake state of the brake mechanism 7 is maintained based on the engagement between the first recess 8d and the first protrusion 9d (in other words, by the stopper portion 9). When the wheel interlocking portion 8 rotates in the first rotation direction from the state shown in FIG. 17, the lever portion 6 moves down as the first plate 14 rotates.
　換言すれば、図１７に示す状態から車輪連動部８が第一回転方向に回動すると、レバー部６がフリー位置からブレーキ位置（図１８に示すレバー部６の位置）に移動する。 In other words, when the wheel interlocking part 8 rotates in the first rotation direction from the state shown in FIG. 17, the lever part 6 moves from the free position to the brake position (the position of the lever part 6 shown in FIG. 18).
　上述のような構成を有する本実施形態に係るロボット１００は、本体部１とカート部２との連結が解除されると、ブレーキ機構７がフリー状態からブレーキ状態に自動で遷移する。このため、本体部１とカート部２との連結が解除された状態において、カート部２にブレーキをかけることができるロボット１００を提供できる。その他、本実施形態に係るロボット１００の作用・効果は、上述の通りである。 In the robot 100 according to this embodiment having the above-described configuration, when the connection between the main body 1 and the cart 2 is released, the brake mechanism 7 automatically transitions from a free state to a braked state. This makes it possible to provide a robot 100 that can apply the brakes to the cart 2 when the connection between the main body 1 and the cart 2 is released. Other functions and effects of the robot 100 according to this embodiment are as described above.
　＜付記＞
　その他、上記実施の形態は、何れも本開示に係る技術を実施するにあたっての具体化の一例を示したものに過ぎず、これらによって本開示に係る技術の技術的範囲が限定的に解釈されてはならないものである。すなわち、本開示に係る技術は、主要な特徴から逸脱することなく、様々な形で実施することが可能である。 <Additional Notes>
In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments are merely examples of the embodiment of the technology according to the present disclosure, and the technical scope of the technology according to the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited by these embodiments. In other words, the technology according to the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms without departing from its main features.
　２０２２年１０月６日出願の特願２０２２－１６１９４０の日本出願に含まれる明細書、図面および要約書の開示内容は、すべて本願に援用される。 The entire disclosures of the specification, drawings and abstract contained in the Japanese application No. 2022-161940, filed on October 6, 2022, are incorporated herein by reference.
　本開示は、カート部にブレーキをかけたり外したりできるロボットに有用である。 This disclosure is useful for robots that can apply and release brakes on a cart section.
　１　本体部
　２　カート部
　３　挿入部
　３ａ　側部
　４　制御部
　５　車輪
　５Ａ　前側車輪
　５Ｂ　後側車輪
　５ａ　六角形部分
　６　レバー部
　６ａ　第一爪部
　６ｂ　第二爪部
　７　ブレーキ機構
　８　車輪連動部
　８ａ　当接部
　８ｂ　第一外縁部
　８ｃ　第一尖り部
　８ｄ　第一凹部
　８ｅ　第二凸部
　９　ストッパ部
　９ａ　突き当て部
　９ｂ　第二外縁部
　９ｃ　第二尖り部
　９ｄ　第一凸部
　９ｅ　第二凹部
　１０　第一付勢部材
　１１　第二付勢部材
　１２　第一リンク
　１３　第二リンク
　１４　第一プレート
　１５　第二プレート
　１００　ロボット
 

  REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Main body 2 Cart 3 Insertion section 3a Side section 4 Control section 5 Wheel 5A Front wheel 5B Rear wheel 5a Hexagonal section 6 Lever section 6a First claw section 6b Second claw section 7 Brake mechanism 8 Wheel interlocking section 8a Contact section 8b First outer edge section 8c First pointed section 8d First recess 8e Second convex section 9 Stopper section 9a Abutment section 9b Second outer edge section 9c Second pointed section 9d First convex section 9e Second recess 10 First biasing member 11 Second biasing member 12 First link 13 Second link 14 First plate 15 Second plate 100 Robot

Claims (12)

  1. 　本体部と、
    　車輪を有し、前記本体部に連結可能なカート部と、を備え、
    　前記本体部は、前記カート部との連結状態において前記カート部に挿入される挿入部を有し、
    　前記カート部は、前記車輪にブレーキをかけるブレーキ状態と前記車輪にブレーキをかけないフリー状態とが切り換わるブレーキ機構を有し、
    　前記ブレーキ機構は、
    　　前記連結状態では、前記挿入部により前記フリー状態が維持され、
    　　前記連結状態が解除され、前記挿入部が前記カート部から抜去されると、前記フリー状態から前記ブレーキ状態に切り換わる、
    　ロボット。     A main body portion,
    a cart portion having wheels and connectable to the main body portion;
    the main body portion has an insertion portion that is inserted into the cart portion in a connected state with the cart portion,
    The cart unit has a brake mechanism that switches between a brake state in which the wheels are braked and a free state in which the wheels are not braked,
    The brake mechanism includes:
    In the connected state, the free state is maintained by the insertion portion,
    When the connected state is released and the insertion portion is removed from the cart portion, the state is switched from the free state to the brake state.
    robot.
  2. 　前記ブレーキ機構は、
    　　前記車輪に接続され、前記フリー状態に対応する第一姿勢と前記ブレーキ状態に対応する第二姿勢との間を回動する車輪連動部と、
    　　前記車輪連動部との配置関係に基づいて、前記車輪連動部の回動を規制するストッパ部と、を有し、
    　　前記連結状態において、前記挿入部により前記車輪連動部に対する前記ストッパ部の規制が解除された状態、且つ、前記挿入部により前記車輪連動部の回動が規制された状態となることにより前記フリー状態が維持され、
    　　前記挿入部が前記カート部から抜去されると、前記車輪連動部が前記第一姿勢から前記第二姿勢に向けて回動して、前記ブレーキ状態となる、
    　請求項１に記載のロボット。     The brake mechanism includes:
    a wheel interlocking unit connected to the wheel and rotating between a first position corresponding to the free state and a second position corresponding to the brake state;
    a stopper portion that restricts rotation of the wheel interlocking portion based on a positional relationship with the wheel interlocking portion,
    In the connected state, the restriction of the stopper portion on the wheel interlocking portion by the insertion portion is released, and the rotation of the wheel interlocking portion is restricted by the insertion portion, thereby maintaining the free state,
    When the insertion portion is removed from the cart portion, the wheel interlocking portion rotates from the first position to the second position and enters the brake state.
    The robot according to claim 1.
  3. 　前記車輪連動部は、前記第一姿勢及び前記第二姿勢において、前記ストッパ部により回動が規制される、請求項２に記載のロボット。 The robot according to claim 2, wherein the rotation of the wheel interlocking part is restricted by the stopper part in the first position and the second position.
  4. 　前記車輪連動部は、前記連結状態において、前記第一姿勢から前記第二姿勢に向けて第一所定角度回動した状態で、前記挿入部により回動が規制された状態となる、請求項３に記載のロボット。 The robot according to claim 3, wherein the wheel interlocking part is in a state where the rotation is restricted by the insertion part when the wheel interlocking part rotates from the first position to the second position by a first predetermined angle in the connected state.
  5. 　前記第一所定角度は、前記ブレーキ機構の前記フリー状態が維持される角度である、請求項４に記載のロボット。 The robot according to claim 4, wherein the first predetermined angle is an angle at which the free state of the brake mechanism is maintained.
  6. 　前記ストッパ部は、
    　　第一規制姿勢と第二規制姿勢との間を回動可能に構成され、
    　　前記第一規制姿勢において、前記第一姿勢である前記車輪連動部との配置関係に基づいて前記フリー状態を維持し、
    　　前記第二規制姿勢において、前記第二姿勢である前記車輪連動部との配置関係に基づいて前記ブレーキ状態を維持する、
    　請求項２に記載のロボット。     The stopper portion is
    The locking mechanism is configured to be rotatable between a first restricting position and a second restricting position,
    In the first restricted position, the free state is maintained based on a positional relationship with the wheel interlocking portion in the first position,
    In the second restriction position, the braking state is maintained based on a positional relationship with the wheel interlocking portion in the second position.
    The robot according to claim 2.
  7. 　前記ストッパ部は、前記連結状態において、前記第一規制姿勢から前記第二規制姿勢に向けて第二所定角度回動した状態で、前記挿入部により回動が規制された状態となる、請求項６に記載のロボット。 The robot according to claim 6, wherein the stopper portion, in the connected state, is in a state in which its rotation is restricted by the insertion portion when it has rotated a second predetermined angle from the first restricted position toward the second restricted position.
  8. 　前記第二所定角度は、前記ブレーキ機構の前記フリー状態が維持される角度である、請求項７に記載のロボット。 The robot according to claim 7, wherein the second predetermined angle is an angle at which the free state of the brake mechanism is maintained.
  9. 　前記ブレーキ機構は、
    　　前記車輪連動部を、前記第一姿勢から前記第二姿勢に回動する方向に常時付勢する第一付勢部材と、
    　　前記ストッパ部を、前記第二規制姿勢から前記第一規制姿勢に回動する方向に常時付勢する第二付勢部材と、を有する、
    　請求項６に記載のロボット。     The brake mechanism includes:
    a first biasing member that constantly biases the wheel interlocking portion in a direction in which the wheel interlocking portion rotates from the first position to the second position;
    a second biasing member that constantly biases the stopper portion in a direction in which the stopper portion rotates from the second restricting position to the first restricting position,
    The robot according to claim 6.
  10. 　前記カート部は、前記ブレーキ機構に接続され、使用者の入力に基づいて前記ストッパ部の姿勢を変化させる操作入力部を有する、請求項６に記載のロボット。 The robot according to claim 6, wherein the cart unit is connected to the brake mechanism and has an operation input unit that changes the position of the stopper unit based on a user's input.
  11. 　前記操作入力部は、
    　　前記本体部と前記カート部との連結が解除された非連結状態において、前記使用者からの入力に基づいて前記ストッパ部の姿勢を変化させ、
    　　前記連結状態において、前記使用者からの入力を受け付けても前記ストッパ部の姿勢を変化させない、請求項１０に記載のロボット。     The operation input unit includes:
    In a non-connected state in which the connection between the main body and the cart is released, the attitude of the stopper portion is changed based on an input from the user.
    The robot according to claim 10 , wherein in the connected state, the attitude of the stopper portion is not changed even when an input is received from the user.
  12. 　前記操作入力部は、
    　　前記使用者の入力に基づいて、前記ブレーキ状態に対応するブレーキ位置と、前記フリー状態に対応するフリー位置とを切り換えられ、
    　　前記フリー位置から前記ブレーキ位置に回動すると、前記ストッパ部を前記第一規制姿勢から前記第二規制姿勢に回動させ、
    　　前記ブレーキ位置から前記フリー位置に回動すると、前記車輪連動部を前記第二姿勢から前記第一姿勢に回動させる、請求項１０に記載のロボット。     The operation input unit includes:
    A brake position corresponding to the brake state and a free position corresponding to the free state are switched based on the input of the user,
    When the stopper portion is rotated from the free position to the brake position, the stopper portion is rotated from the first restricting position to the second restricting position,
    The robot according to claim 10 , wherein when the robot rotates from the brake position to the free position, the wheel interlocking portion rotates from the second posture to the first posture.
PCT/JP2023/036272 2022-10-06 2023-10-04 Robot WO2024075792A1 (en)

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Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN111114216A (en) * 2020-01-13 2020-05-08 四川一汽丰田汽车有限公司 Exempt from platform truck of bowing
JP2021070424A (en) * 2019-10-31 2021-05-06 株式会社フジタ Bogie brake, bogie, automatic conveyance system
JP2021127066A (en) * 2020-02-17 2021-09-02 ホシザキ株式会社 Storage cart for automatic conveyance system

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2021070424A (en) * 2019-10-31 2021-05-06 株式会社フジタ Bogie brake, bogie, automatic conveyance system
CN111114216A (en) * 2020-01-13 2020-05-08 四川一汽丰田汽车有限公司 Exempt from platform truck of bowing
JP2021127066A (en) * 2020-02-17 2021-09-02 ホシザキ株式会社 Storage cart for automatic conveyance system

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